


The Right One

by SassyMcWinchester



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Dark Past, Developing Friendships, Friends to Enemies, Gen, Heroes to Villains, Let Slade Say Fuck, Master/Apprentice, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 19:25:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 62,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13196922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassyMcWinchester/pseuds/SassyMcWinchester
Summary: Jane is an 18-year old orphan with superpowers, raised in a place that tried to neutralize them. After a grand escape with her best friend, John Noble, who becomes separated from her, she quite literally stumbles upon the Teen Titans. They offer her comfort and training, they offer to be her friend. However, they abandon her, they don't rescue her from an ambush. She finds new residence and partnership under Slade's wing. Vowing to be loyal to the end, she'd fight, tooth and nail, to get back at the Titans. Meanwhile, her best friend falls into the clutches of Brother Blood and is granted powers he has never had before. With an unbridled anger he's never experienced, he vows to kill Jane and Slade, and make the city his.





	1. A New Beginning

            Tree branches crackled beneath the girl’s feet as she dashed through the woods. Panting profusely, she could see her own breath escape through her lips as she proceeded through the dense, bitter night. Seasons were changing, and it was that perfect peak between the end of summer and the beginning of fall. There were ravens scattered around the trees, cawing in her direction as she disturbed their resting places and diving at her head when she trampled over their food scraps. Swatting them away, all she could do was keep running.

            “Come on John…fucking dammit.” she panted as she ran.

            She decided to come to a stop in a cluster of dense trees, hoping nothing or nobody could see her through the brush and leaves. She examined her watch; it was nearly one in the morning. They were supposed to meet and the rendezvous point thirty minutes ago, which had been compromised by the sight of police. Fanning out, they lost touch with each other, but it seemed they had gone the same direction…or so she thought. Panting heavily, she realized she couldn’t stay put for much longer. She had to keep moving, or else they would catch her. Pushing off a tree for force, she continued to run forward. The occasional gap in the trees would allow the moon to reflect off of her hair, high up in a ponytail so it wouldn’t get into her eyes. Brown like an animal’s coat, it made great warmth in the winter. The ravens continued to pester her, cawing louder and louder as more and more got into a flock. One flew directly into her face, distracting her as she ran and stumbled over a tree root. Her body came to an immediate slam to the earth, knocking the last of the wind out of her. At this point, she cared more about taking care of the ravens than actually fleeing the cops. Off her route, she ran east, hoping to find a hiding spot. The trees only got more and more dense, allowing both her and her pursuers better coverage in the case of stealth. She found a large boulder to take refuge behind. Spotlights from helicopters wouldn’t be able to breach the canopy, but she doubted the city needed copters for this type of thing. Slowing down her breathing, she closed her eyes and hummed. Taking another deep breath, she opened her eyes to see the red orbs of a raven, perched on a piece of dead wood across from her. Startled, she lurched to the right and got onto her hands and knees to run again. As she ran this time, she refused to watch where she was going in the fear of being followed. A loss of ground caused her to stumble forward, sending her careening down a dirt ledge at a steady angle. She screamed, tumbling and rolling down the slope. Dirt got into her mouth, ears, and eyes as the descent continued. Eventually, she grasped the ground enough to slow down the fall. Coughing and spitting, she attempted to look down the remainder of the slope. There was flat ground below her, but she knew if she let go, she would have a painful roll down the rest of the path.

            “Gotta move down… Gotta go slow…” she reassured herself.

            Moving her hands and feet slowly in a crawl, she tried to refuse gravity’s pull that was tugging her body downward. She could see the moon’s reflection of water just by the edge of the land, so she knew she was getting close. Suddenly her weight gave way in a patch of gravel and she was sent down the slope again, this time there was more bouncing from her body than rolling. Coughing and screaming, her body landed with a thud, until she gently rolled to a stop. Breathing heavily, she lifted her head to see a large tower which seemed to be in the shape of a giant T.

            “People… People can help me.” she attempted to get up.

            Walking forward, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. When a rustling in the woods startled her, she only saw the faint shapes of humans at the top of the ridge. Exhausted, she couldn’t run anywhere except for the perimeter around the lake. She spit into the dirt and wiped her nose before running parallel to the lake’s edge. This action was dangerous due to the amount of stones that could potentially roll her ankle. Her only other choice was to face the police she thought were in the woods. She kept her eye on the lights in the tower while she made her lap around, but she didn’t get far. She rolled her ankle and fell sideways into the lake. Struggling under her own clothes, she was thankful the shallow end was her greeter, instead of a pit of water with no bottom. Scrambling out of the water, she limped haphazardly until she could feel the exhaustion grip her lungs and muscles. She couldn’t run anymore. Her last hope was to cup her hands again and scream to the people in the tower, if, god help her, they could hear her voice. As she screamed, the breath escaped her so quickly she fell to her knees. Exhaustion fell over her, and she fell to the side and passed out.

           

            _“Hey…”_ a voice murmured. “ _Hey, can you hear me?”_

            The world was in a dull, groggy roar. Ears ringing, she only let out a breath as she sat up, eyes still closed. She stuck her hand out to the side to shush whoever was speaking to her, not ready to open her eyes yet.

            “So you can hear me, great.” the voice confirmed. “But I need you to open your eyes now.”

            “Are the lights on?” she asked absently.

            “Uh, no?”

            “Great.” she put her hand down.

            Opening her eyes, she saw a white room filled with beds. She had not realized that she herself was lying in one of them, or at least, now sitting up in one. The lights were dim enough that her eyesight didn’t eradicate itself when she opened her peepers. But he technically lied about the light situation. After a minute of taking in her surroundings, she jumped, immediately trying to escape the confines of the bed, but a hand grabbed her arm.

            “Let me go!” she shouted.

            “Wait! I’m not here to hurt you!” the voice shouted, as if trying to calm her.

            “Where am I then?!” she was still trying to struggle.

            She had still not seen the person talking to her. Whipping her head to the side, she laid eyes on the person who had, perhaps, saved her outside. The hands were gloved, green gloves. Hyperventilating, she glanced up to his face. A mask covered his eyes, but she saw his spiked black hair.

            “Have you calmed down yet?” he asked.

            Swatting his hand away, she continued to examine him. Although his outfit was mostly red as far as shirts go, he wore green spandex pants with the gloves and sleeves to match. He had black boots on, but as far as fashion was concerned, he deserved to receive “worst dressed” on Joan Rivers’ ‘Fashion Police’. Her breathing had slowed down, so she swallowed and nodded.

            “Yea. Sorry about that.” she looked around the room. “I thought you were going to put me in jail or something. Or I thought I already was in jail.”

            “I’m sure that this is far from it. You’re far away from any danger now.” he crossed his arms.

            “Is this the big T?” she asked.

            “This is the big T.” he smiled.

            When she got out of the bed, the boy almost had a stroke, it seemed like.

            “You’re exhausted! Get back in bed, you aren’t ready to walk around yet!” he shouted.

            “Where are my shoes? I need to find somebody.” she evaded his plea.

            “Water-logged and drying. You aren’t going anywhere, miss.” he scrunched his eyes together.

            Barefoot, she walked to the automatic door so she could leave.

“I need to find my friend.” but once again, she was stopped.

“If you mean you had a friend out there, there wasn’t anybody around. My team and I searched the whole woods, there’s nobody to be found.” he explained.

Her muscles stiffened. _Did the police find him?_

“Speaking of, what were you running from?” he asked.

She didn’t yank her arm away this time, she just let it fall. She had to think. Perhaps sticking around here was her best bet if she was going to find John.

“Nothing, don’t beat yourself up over anything.” she turned to face him and smiled. “I’m sorry that I’m being a nuisance.”

“No, not at all.” he stuck his hand out. “My name is Robin.”

“Jane.” she shook his hand.

“Firm handshake you got there…” he laughed.

“I’m sorry; I’m being _so_ rude right now. Thank you for rescuing me out there. I don’t know what might have happened if you hadn’t gotten to me.” she began to relax a bit. Perhaps John was safe, the other part of her mind told her.

“You have some more people to thank.” Robin guided her out the automatic door and into a long hallway.

Following him, she glanced around the hallway with skeptical eyes. If these people did know anything on how to help her find John, it was her best bet to stay here. Robin didn’t speak much, he only opened doors and led her through hallways. She only now had just noticed his black cape.

“You a super hero or something?” she laughed.

“Something like that.” he placed his hand on a scanner next to a duo of giant, metal doors.

_How does that scan if he has gloves on?_ she thought with a crinkled brow.

“Great, everybody’s here…wait, no.” he muttered. “I’ll call Terra in later.” The doors opened.

Before her eyes was what looked like the extreme make-over of a college lounge area. There was a gigantic window spanning around the full length of the room, so there was a marvelous view of the lake on one side with the city on the other. There was a fully stocked kitchen, even couches and chairs, which were occupied at the moment by several other people. A smile spread across her face as she slowly turned in circles and looked around the gigantic room. The sunrise reflected beautiful rays of orange and pink onto the carpet, spanning up the walls and onto the ceiling. Robin walked ahead of her while she soaked in the experience of being in a room this big, a room this comforting. She hadn’t realized the other people in the room were now watching her as she dawdled about like an idiot.

“These are the other people you have to thank for rescuing you.” he gestured to the teenagers forming a line in front of her. “Titans, this is Jane.”

“I would like to thank you each for rescuing me from my…escapade from that forest. I don’t know how to repay you, I really don’t.” Jane beamed.

A girl with pink hair smiled and stepped forward, taking her hands and shaking them vigorously.

“I’m just so delighted that our new friend is safe!” she smiled a huge, toothy grin.

_Friend._ “Oh! Well…thank you.” Jane continued to smile.

An android-looking guy walked forward next. “I couldn’t carry you in, so I let Starfire do that.” he tipped his head in the girl’s direction. “I’m Cyborg. Glad to see you ain’t soaking wet anymore.” he shook her hand as well.

A green boy pushed Cyborg out of the way comedically. “He should’ve just let a big strong man carry you in!” he flexed his…muscles.

“Boy you were whinin’ about getting your own suit wet!” Cyborg chimed in.

“Aw, why’d you have to say that?!” the green one whined.

Laughing slightly, Jane watched the comedic argument take place, Starfire standing next to her. The final girl with a black leotard and blue robe simply walked past her, and she immediately gave her a sense of discomfort.

“Hey, wait, where are you going? Did I do something wrong?” she asked after the girl.

“Do not be bothered by Raven’s solitude.” Starfire explained. “She is usually this way. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

Jane furrowed her brows in slight frustration and sadness. Though she appreciated what these people had done for her, she needed to get what she needed.

“I’m sorry, I hope I’m not a burden.” she frowned as Raven left the room.

“Of course not.” Robin reassured. “We just did our job. Right guys?” he referenced everyone else.

“Yea!” the green one exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, but I have a question.” Jane asked, straight faced.

“Shoot.” Cyborg answered.

“I’m looking for my friend, John Noble. We were in the woods together last night and we got separated. I want to know where he is as soon as I can.” she explained, looking out the window.

“I’m not sure if Robin told you or not, but we didn’t find anybody with you in the woods.” Cyborg frowned.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t keep a lookout.” Robin placed his hands on his hips. “Cyborg, can you keep a data bookmark on him? That way we’ll know who we’re looking for if we see him.”

“Yea.” A screen popped up above Cyborg’s arm. “I just need his birthday and current residence.”

“Well, March 27th and, well, none.” she replied nonchalantly.

They all looked at her. “He doesn’t have a residence?” Robin asked.

She shook her head.

“Well, what about you?” he asked again.

“Nope.” she shrugged, again nonchalantly.

The four of them exchanged glances while she stood there with her hands folded behind her back, with a small smile on her face. The television hanging on the wall reflected an HD image of John.

“Well whaddaya know, a person matches the description.” Cyborg sounded surprised.

The image portrayed John with short brown hair, gauges, and a pineapple shirt. He had blue eyes and a few blemishes, but that was about it.

“That’s him.” she confirmed.

“Well, we’ll definitely look out for him if we find him.” Cyborg closed his arm screen.

“Thank you so much.” Jane smiled, but then frowned. “In the meantime, I should probably get out of your hair.” she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

“What are you talking about?” Robin asked, appalled.

“Beast Boy and I were just about to start a new game in Mario Racing. We thought you’d like to join in.” Cyborg nudged Beast Boy.

Stepping back, she was shocked. “What?”

“And I was about to make a killer batch of tofu bacon.” Beast Boy smiled wide.

“What?” she asked again, looking at them all. “No, no, no. I don’t belong here, I can’t just stay here out of the blue.” she shook her head frantically and crossed her arms in an X shape, signifying ‘nope’.

“As I have just heard, you are out of a home, are you not?” Starfire asked. “We provide food, comfort, and a television!” she grinned.

“At least let me help you guys pay the rent, I can’t just be a freeloader…” she offered.

“Nope, no rent. This tower is ours.” Cyborg corrected.

“But I’m just a _stranger._ I can easily live in a way-side home in the city or something.” she was trying to persuade them.

“You’re a good person who’s in need of a good home. And if you haven’t noticed, the tower has plenty of rooms. There’s room for you and more.” Robin put his hand on her shoulder.

Her concerned look turned into one of relief and comfort. She looked down at her bare feet, stained jeans, and torn flannel. They were right, she needed a home. They said they would keep a lookout for John, but she couldn’t help but feel selfish. Finally sighing, she accepted their offer with a head nod.

“Just give me a hair brush and we can call things set.” she smirked.

“Yes!” Starfire excitedly hovered in the air.

_Jesus fucking Christ in a candle, they’re superheroes. Great. Fabulous._

Looking out to the risen sun, she scanned her eyes over the forest, thinking that all was hunky-dory. She had a roof over her head, at least for the time being, and a bunch of superheroes were keeping a lookout for John. All was well. She just needed a hair brush.

 

“Hm. How interesting.” The man smirked to himself.

He was standing in the tree branches, unable to be seen to the average, as he spied on Titans Tower. Leaning against the trunk casually, he had examined six hours’ worth of entertainment. All he wanted was some information on the speed of the wolves in the woods when he found something even more interesting to sniff out.

“I don’t understand heroes. Letting a stranger house under their rooves simply because they were a citizen in need. But I guess that isn’t any of my business.” he squinted beneath his mask.

Just a few hours prior, a girl was found running for her life for some unknown cause, rolling and hurling down a slope of rocks and gravel without wasting a nick of time in the process. Ruthless, but she was smart. He didn’t get a chance to get a closer look at her, because all of her screaming got her what she wanted, somebody to come and rescue her. Another interesting tidbit in particular was that her partner in crime was snatched up by his own partner in crime. He wasn’t even a partner in crime, he was just an annoyance that just happened to be close by.

““Don’t interfere” he said. What a fruit loop…” he muttered.

Leaping off the branch, his metal boots hit the dirt with a massive TROMP. He cracked his knuckles and got moving back the way he came. He had picked up shreds of the girl’s flannel shirt when she tumbled down the rocks. It wouldn’t do anything for him; it just would erase any evidence to those chasing her that she was ever in the area. He couldn’t allow her to be captured now. But before he got too hasty, he stopped.

“I don’t know her abilities. Should I stay? Or should I go?” he asked himself.

He turned around to face the tower again, only to smirk. He had a better idea.

 

Brushing her hair with a brush she had acquired from Starfire, Jane sat in a chair while Cyborg donned a mini chef’s hat. Beast Boy sat to her left while a girl she wasn’t introduced to sat on her right. She was blonde, and her hair was almost as long as Jane’s. Almost. It wasn’t quite to the tailbone yet. She didn’t want to stare, but she couldn’t help herself. If the girl noticed, Jane would look away quickly. All she did was continue to brush the same area of hair for a prolonged amount of time. When she was finished grooming, he flipped her hair, like a mermaid, out of her facial region. Her hair was a monster when in her face.

“How do you shampoo all of that?” she heard.

Startled, she looked at the blonde, who was looking at her hair in a type of awe.

“Oh, um, it isn’t that hard. I just use a lot. And stand in the shower for thirty minutes.” Jane smiled modestly.

“Does it ever get tangled?” she began to feel Jane’s hair, which she was used to.

“Of course it does, but then I just brush it again.” she shrugged.

“To you, I’m totally a creeper checkin’ out and feeling up your hair. I’m Terra.”

“Good to put a name to a face.” Jane smiled again. “I’m Jane… I kinda was the one by the river. And, well, here I am.” she shrugged.

“The more the merrier.” Terra put up her fist.

Jane gave her the fist-pound she gestured for, earning her another smile and, surprisingly, a stack of pancakes. Cyborg had set a glistening plate of warm and fluffy pancakes, smothered in syrup, directly in front of her on the table. Her eyes lit up and grew wider than dinner plates, her jaw dropping. The edges were perfectly crispy and the pancake itself had the perfect amount of vanilla added to the batter so it wasn’t too sweet.

“I. I just.” she swallowed a giant mouthful.

The others joined her in feasting on the lovely breakfast, laughing a talking resonated all around her while she chewed, washing down the dough with fresh orange juice. Looking around, she didn’t see Raven, which made her sad, but at the same time, if Raven had a problem with her she needed to suck it up. When she finished her plate, she leaned back in the chair and rubbed her stomach. That was the first time it had been full like that in a long time.

“So, Jane, if you have no residence, where is it you come from?” Starfire asked, spurting mustard on her breakfast.

Jane folded her hands and leaned over the table. “I live with John in, I believe, one city over. I lost track of the distance between there and here.”

“Was it like an apartment scenario or something?” Terra wasn’t quite filled in.

“No. I, we, worked at an orphanage for special children.”

“What kind of special?” Robin asked, rinsing the plates off.

“Like, kind of like a place you’d see in an X-Men movie. A place where all the kids with mutant powers go, but, some of their powers die out when they get older, and they get put up for adoption. The rest of us end up living there to work forever or learn to silence the powers ourselves.” Jane explained, not paying attention to pronouns.

“Wait. ‘Ourselves’? ‘Us’?” Robin turned around to look at her from the sink. “You’re talking as if you know from experience.”

She shrugged and finished the last of her juice. Setting the glass down, she looked at her eyes in the reflection on the glass. All eyes were on her right now, which she hated.

“I said we learn to silence our powers.” she repeated with a frown.

“But were they dangerous?” Beast Boy asked.

“I don’t remember.” she answered honestly. “I haven’t used them in such a long time…against people. I try to use them in secret, but John always yelled at me. I figured it’d be better off if I just didn’t use them.”

“Could we draw them out?” Starfire offered.

Jane looked surprised. “Draw my powers out? You must be insane.”

“We’ve done crazier.” Cyborg reassured, gesturing at Terra without her noticing.

She shook her head. “No. Unacceptable.” she yawned. Hopping down from the stool, she looked at them again. “If I change my mind, I’ll let you know. But, to be honest, it’d take a nightmare and a half for that to happen.”

Robin walked around the counter and over to her, as if to escort her out.

“You look tired. Let’s get you to a room.” he opened the door for him.

“Just stop waiting on me, please. It’s annoying, people doing shit for me.” she waved to the others as Robin guided her down another hallway. This one only had two rooms in it, and walking by, it seemed Raven’s room was one of them, for a lack of colored paint outside her door. Jane’s room was all the way at the end of the hall. Robin was surely walking slowly enough for the room being right there…unless he was stalling.

“Who were you running from?” he asked, seriously.

She let out a chuckle. “You aren’t going to drop that anytime soon, are you?”

“Not likely.”

“Well then, what if I told you John and I were being trailed by the police?”

“You don’t look like a criminal.”

“I’ve been told the opposite as well.”

They reached the bedroom door and Robin stopped.

“We aren’t going to judge you, you know.” he lifted the serious tone. “Just think of this as a new beginning for you, Jane.” he began walking away from her, back to the main room.

Left alone, she turned the knob and stepped into her bedroom. It was plain and simple, but that would change soon enough. Leaning against the door with her eyes closed, she sighed.

“Right. A new beginning.”


	2. Titan Clad in Plaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane, now under the wing of the Titans, begins to see what her powers can do through sparring with them. The more she learns, the more memories inside of her are stirred up. Becoming an official Titan, she is thrust into her first mission. Meanwhile, Brother Blood sinks his grip into John.

_“My favorite bird is a raven.” she said to her counsellor._

_“Why is that, sweetheart?” he looked down at his clipboard._

_The light coming in through the window made that beautiful highlight in her hair. It reflected the shine in her smile. It made the skin warm, muscles loose._

_“They make me feel.” she replied._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“My powers. I want to be uncovered; I want to let myself feel.”_

_“You what?”_

_Her hands began to glow a piercing white. “I want to use my powers.” she thrust her hand through the counsellor’s chest, removing the heart._

_“I didn’t want to hurt you, you know. You were just so mean to me. You wanted to hide me. You can’t just keep a human being locked up!” she screamed at the lifeless body._

_But no, this isn’t what happened. All that had happened was that she injured the counsellor, not actually killed him. Smoke drifting into the room from the window brought flames with it. The room began to burn up with an intense heat, sending pains through her head and making her drop to her knees._

_“I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t kill anybody.”_

_“But do you want to?” a voice answered._

_The lifeless body of the counsellor had grown life again, only the pupils had gone white with trails of blood leaking from the corners, while the lips were filled with a red, foamy mess._

Gasping, Jane bolted upright from her nightmare. There was now darkness seeping into the room, she had slept the entire day. Clutching her chest in a panic, she let her eyes water and the breath escape her in shallow patches. She felt around her; she was still in bed. The room was pitch black, except for the one streak of light from under the covers. Removing the blanket, her hand was glowing that piercing light again. Screaming, she tried to force her hand to go out. But immediately, she covered her mouth with the other hand, which didn’t seem to be glowing as brightly. The hand glowing the brightest was the same hand she used to kill the counsellor in her nightmare. Sweat ran down her face as she carefully listened for footsteps, trying to slow down her breathing.

“If I calm down, it will stop…” she whispered to herself.

To her dismay, there was a door opening down the hall and the sound of quickened footsteps. She feared it was Robin, but even worse, the door didn’t open like she thought it would. It crept open. Through the darkness, she could see the glow of purple eyes.

“You screamed.” Raven put her hood down, walking into the room.

“Uh huh…” Jane was surprised.

Raven nonchalantly looked at her hand. “So much for powers being concealed, huh.”

Jane turned her lamp on. The curtains were closed, and her shirt was as soaked as Will Graham’s from _Hannibal_.  Raven just gave her a look.

“Why did you come into my room? I can deal with this myself.” Jane stared at her hand.

“No you can’t. And I just happened to be the first person that came to help. I wanted to make sure you weren’t being killed in here.” Raven looked around the vacant room.

“Thank you?” she sighed heavily, her hand beginning to dim. “Don’t tell anybody else.”

“Why not?”

“Aren’t my powers bad?” Jane still looked panicked.

Raven responded by making a black aura surround her hands. “Only if they’re used to kill people. But no. I have them, Starfire has them, Beast Boy turns into animals for god’s sake, Cyborg’s an android, Terra can move the earth, and you…are a flashlight.” she shrugged. “Just go back to sleep.” she began to walk out.

“Well, uh,” Jane stammered “thanks for checking in on me?”

“Yea.” Raven left.

As the door closed, Jane looked at her hands again. She sighed because she knew she was more than just a flashlight.

Jane didn’t sleep for the rest of the night. Her nightmare poked at her, not allowing her to peacefully close her eyes. When it was close to becoming dawn outside, she changed her clothes into the ones from yesterday, she didn’t have any more. Somewhat disgusted, she opened her door and proceeded into the hallway, looking at Raven’s door. There were no noises from inside or any sights to see that she was awake or asleep, so Jane just headed to the main room. Her stomach growled as she snuck a whiff of her shirt. It wasn’t TOO bad, but it wasn’t too GOOD either. At the big doors, she was startled by Terra approaching in from the parallel hallway.

“Good morning.” Terra greeted, opening the door for her. “You’re up early.”

“As are you.” she replied, walking in with her.

There didn’t seem to be anybody else awake, and if there was, they weren’t in the main room. Jane was still hesitant about the fact that she was technically a resident in the tower and she could do what she wanted. Terra noticed that.

“You know, you can relax.”

“Sorry, but this is still a little odd to me. You know, the fact you accepted a stranger into your home as a resident. But whatever.” Jane hesitantly opened the fridge. “Please tell me these are banana-nut muffins.”

“They are.”

“Great.” She grabbed three.

Terra took a seat on the couch and put her feet up on the table, also brushing her hair out of her face. She patted the seat next to her. Complying, Jane sat on the couch with her, a muffin already being terminated.

“You know, you slept the whole day yesterday. We kept checking in on you and you were fast asleep.”

Jane shrugged.

“We also heard about your little event last night.”

Jane smiled guiltily, crumbs on her lips. “Yea.”

“Robin wanted to talk to you.” Terra looked at her seriously.

Swallowing a large mound of walnut and bread, she handed her remaining muffin to Terra, got up, and threw her trash away.

“He’s in his room; you want me to take you?”

“Sure.” she cracked her neck.

Terra winced. “Don’t do that.” she got up and walked over.

“No, wait, you were all comfortable, sit back down.” Jane frowned.

“It’s fine.” Terra guided her out. “I wanted to get some fresh air anyway.”

Instead of going down the left hallway, Terra led her down the right hallway. There were more rooms in this one, it was also quite longer. Creepy. Robin’s room was at the end of the hallway, as Jane somewhat suspected, and was the one closest to the infirmary. She recognized the hallway, so now at least she had an inkling of the Y-shaped labyrinth of rooms.

“Robin?” Terra knocked.

“Come on in.” said a muffled voice inside.

The door opened for them and they both proceeded inside. Robin’s room was dark. Not ‘pitch black’ dark, but ‘eerie dim’ dark. He was sitting in a chair and looking at the newspaper, which Jane suspected was yesterday’s. Him not paying any particular attention to her, Jane looked around the walls. There were articles on, who she assumed were villains, on the walls and even the floor, some on the ceiling above his bed. Several cluttered on his computer table, and some were even taped to the monitor. She heard him put the paper down.

“Glad you decided to wake up. You can go, Terra.” he folded the paper up and placed it on the desk.

Terra nodded, gave them a wave, and left. Door closing behind her, it sealed the atmosphere in the room. Jane stood there, trying not to luxury herself in reading the hordes of articles. Robin crossed his arms and seemed to be thinking about his words very carefully.

“Are you able to show everyone your powers?” he asked first.

Her hands shook in her pockets. “I don’t know.”

“How did Raven see them?” he asked, looking at her pockets.

“I had woken up from a nightmare, I screamed, and she walked into my room. My hand was glowing.” she avoided eye contact with him…she thought, considering his mask.

“What was the nightmare about?” he asked, trying to be gentle.

“I don’t remember.” she lied.

Considering he could probably see through her lie, he stood up and placed his hand on her arm.

“Can I see your hands?”

Just looking at him, she tried to read what he was playing at. However, she also had no clue whether her hands were glowing right now. Sensing his urgency, she risked it and took her hands out of her pockets. Thankfully, they weren’t glowing.

“You know, if you can harness your powers, you can be a great help to the team. You can, well, fight bad guys and defend innocent people. I know you’d like that.” he smiled.

She looked around his room again. “Like these?”

“Yea.” he looked too. “Like these.”

Walking away from him, he dropped her arm and let her read. “Tell me about some of them?”

“Sure, just say who and I’ll tell ya.” he was happy because she was most likely considering his statement.

Jane pointed to an article from a few weeks ago, to a man in robotic armor. “This crazy old guy.”

“That’s Brother Blood. Cyborg’s main rival, basically. He runs a private academy called the H.I.V.E. Don’t even get me started.”

She pointed to a less recent one. “The fuck is this, a giant goat?”

“Trigon. Cyborg snapped that photo; the typing is just my notes. He’s long dead.” he didn’t explain everything there.

There was a midget named Mad Mod, a crazy bitch named Mother Mae Eye, a sludge thing named Plasmus, and a big Cinderblock man named…Cinderblock. Both of them began to laugh the wackier the stories got about the fights with these villains. While she was still laughing, she walked over to his monitor, where he had the most articles surrounding it and on the wall.

“What about him?” she wiped a tear from her eye.

Robin stopped laughing. Walking over to her, he picked up an article and just looked at it. Sensing the intensity that suddenly filled the room, she stopped laughing.

“Robin?” she cleared her throat.

“This is the only villain I’ve ever been unable to defeat. He always slips away, he hides. But he also plots, he’s incredibly strong. He’s incredibly dangerous. His name is Slade.” he explained, gripping the paper tightly.

“Well…how long have you tried to defeat him?” she asked, picking up pictures.

“Years, Jane.”

Interested, she picked up more articles and began reading. More and more she read as he stood there, engulfed in his pure anger.

“Why does he only have one eye?” she asked.

“You think I know that?” he asked with a sharp tongue.

She put her hands up in defeat. “I dunno man; you just said he’s an old rival sooooo.”

He put the paper down, when she just picked it up again. All she could tell was that he was tall and mysterious looking. He looked strong, and he had that one eye that just pierced through the picture. Disturbed, she put it all down.

“I’d love to fight a midget with a Scottish accent.” she smiled.

“What?” Robin asked.

She shrugged. “What the hell, I’ll try to control my powers. If I can call them out, anyway. This fighting stuff sounds entertaining.” she smiled happily.

“You really mean it?!” Robin smiled too.

“Yea.”

He gave her a hug. “You’re awesome.”

She dropped her smile, not exactly compliant with the hug, but she went with it. He took her hand and led her out into the hall.

“We need to get you started right away!”

“What?” she asked, confused.

“Your training!”

They ran past the infirmary and to a wide elevator, Robin pushing the button to go up. He pulled a circular device out and pressed a button.

“Everyone meet at the training area, I was able to convince her to train with us.” he spoke into the device.

“Oh, so everyone was in cahoots about this?”

“Yup.” Robin put the device away.

The doors to the elevator opened, allowing the two of them to enter. Robin looked excited enough, and as the doors closed Jane just kept her hands at her sides.

“Are you sure this is okay?” she asked, unsure of herself.

“What?”

“Using my powers.” she looked at her feet.

“Jane,” Robin turned to her. “You can’t keep that mentality in your head. Your powers aren’t bad. Raven as them, Star has them—’’

“That isn’t my point.” she interrupted. “What if you change your mind about having me here with you after you see them? What if they scare you?” she bit her lip in fear.

“Now you listen to me,” he grabbed her shoulders. “You aren’t a bad person. I can tell. And I know that you need us as much as we want you here. We’re friends now. We won’t ever leave you.”

She sighed in relief. “Promise?”

“Promise.” he nodded.

The doors slid open as the ding went off, letting them know they reached their destination. Apparently, as her bewildered eyes beheld, their destination was the very roof of the tower. The wind was blowing, but not too hard. As the wisps of hair fluttered around her face, she moved them behind her ears as she took in the beautiful view. The tower was surrounded by a lake, with a forest to her left and a city to her right. Beyond that were mountains, and she couldn’t even tell what was lain beyond that. She heard Beast Boy ring a loud “YEEEEE HAW!” from the other end of the roof, where there was another elevator. Walking in circles, looking at the sky, Jane felt wildly excited. Their elevators were at the ‘base’ of the top of the T, while the ends of the T were empty. Beast Boy ran up to her and gave her a high five, which she gladly returned. Cyborg gave her a wave as the elevator doors closed behind them. The only non-ecstatic individual was Raven, but that seemed already typical to Jane.

“Cyborg, can you rig up a good training field for her?” Robin asked, gesturing to him.

“Already on it, bud.” he started typing into the deck on his arm.

“Because there are six of us, we’re going to take you on one by one. Not only will it train you, but it’ll give us a feel for you as well. If you don’t feel your powers coming on, we can always take a break.” Robin explained.

Jane nodded. “Got it.”

Cyborg slapped her on the back. “I’ll go first, girl. Nothin’ to worry about.”

“But you shoot lasers??????” she made gun shapes with her fingers.

“Nah girl, you’ll be fine.” he persuaded.

A ‘training floor’ of obstacles and various rocks rose from the floor, replacing what had previously been there. Cyborg walked out onto the field, Jane following him. The others just sat around the field, Robin sitting in what looked like a lifeguard’s chair, to supervise, and it suddenly got tense in the air. To be honest, Jane felt awkward. She felt like she was being put on the spot, even though she kind of asked for this. Robin blew an air horn, which must have been the signal to start, because Cyborg charged forward at her. Not knowing exactly what to do, Jane just froze up. What was she supposed to do, punch the metal? Without thinking, she leapt to the side before he could really make contact with her. He turned towards her and threw a punch, but she dodged it again by stepping to the side. Cyborg kicked her in the stomach, which sent her tumbling backward. After rolling for a few seconds, she regained herself and focused on Cyborg’s running. He was slow and large, which made him similar to a brick house. If he was indeed like a brick house, he would get weak when hitting a weak spot. There needed to be a base somewhere. But when Cyborg missed his punch, she began thinking of chickening out.

“Don’t be scared!” she heard somebody shout to her.

She didn’t know who it was, but her distraction threw her against a rock. Dust settled around her and she began coughing. She could tell Cyborg didn’t know what to do.

“Push it further.” she heard Robin say. “But not too much, got it?”

Cyborg raised his arm, which turned into a laser gun.

“OH MY GOD, THAT’S MORE THAN TOO MUCH!” she shouted in fear.

Jane began to panic. She felt nothing, she didn’t feel her powers. There was no inkling of anything to defend herself with,

_“What are you, Jane? A weakling or something truly powerful?”_ a voice inside of her told her. _“You don’t need to be afraid of something as trivial as this. Breathe. Concentrate. Penetrate.”_

Cyborg shot his laser, Jane crossing her arms in front of her as if to deflect the blast. Hearing the impact, she waited for physics, gravity, and her nerve endings to kick in with the sensation of flying and pain. Trembling slightly, she did not feel anything. Only in a positive way. She heard the moaning of Cyborg’s laser shutting down and the shock in his voice.

“Holy cow, girl…”

Opening her eyes, she witnessed what she had done. Around her was this spectacular white barrier. It had shielded her from Cyborg’s laser, only creating black soot on the barrier where it had hit. Smiling, she stood up straight and knocked on the barrier, which then dissolved.

“Holy shit…” she whispered to herself.

Starfire bolted into the air and began clapping. “Wonderful! Bravo, bravo, friend!”

She could make barriers to protect herself. Neato. But that was only defensive. She looked at her hands, knowing she could do more than that, but knowing it with a heavy heart. Walking over to Cyborg, she was distracted by the woods. She blinked when Cyborg sighed.

“I feel bad, but I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sorry.”

“Nah, you’re good. I just found out I’m Bella from Twilight.” she said.

He wasn’t exactly confused by the reference, but she could tell he knew it was a cheap one. Beast Boy bolted up from sitting crisscross and rose his hand.

“Oh yea, well I’m gonna make you discover something even better! Just you wait!”

Jane scratched the back of her head, as a headache was creeping in on her. At least she knew she had barriers now, which was a great thing to know if Beast Boy could turn into any animal at any time. It would be great if she could predict what animal he was turning into and when, but for the moment she would just have to deal with it. When they both stood in the center of the training area again, Robin blew the air horn.

“Am I allowed to punch you guys?!” she shouted, getting into a dodging stance.

“Yes!” Robin shouted back. “Anything you have to!”

Beast Boy jumped into the air and transformed into a pterodactyl, which made Jane burst into laughter. Surely she wasn’t expecting a dinosaur, and it made her tear up from the hilarity happening at the present moment. However, it was no laughing matter when the creature dove down in her direction, as if he had the intention of either pecking her eyes out or picking her up. Going with the latter option, she jumped forward and grabbed his feet as he flew in front of her, making his attempts at flying more difficult, but also allowing her an opportunity of using her weight to drag him down to the ground. In the nick of time, he transformed into a mouse and let her fall flat on her face. She stood up in a huff. Scurrying around her feet made her frustrated, and he clearly understood that. Transforming into a snake, he tangled up her feet and let her shout curses at him. He finally couldn’t take it anymore and started to laugh. Jane clenched her eyes closed in frustration as she didn’t make eye contact with anybody else.

_It’s completely aggravating to not have any control over this. Sit still!_  Her eyes opened again with a piercing white color. She stared directly at Beast Boy, letting her frustration fuel her actions. Suddenly she could feel herself inside of Beast Boy. Not in a physical way, but at the same time, it was. She held her hand out, flayed her fingers, and walked forward. However, at the same time, she felt Beast Boy’s body struggle to move. Beast Boy stood up, unwillingly, and walked with her.

“Dude, this is so weird…” he struggled to say. “I don’t think this is funny anymore.”

“Can you turn into a fox?” she asked.

He turned into a fox without hesitation. His eyes read clear confusion, but he was unable to look to the others for guidance.

“Now do a cartwheel!” she smiled.

Beast Boy clumsily performed a cartwheel. He landed on his stomach instead of back on his feet. By force, she made him transform into a hummingbird.

“This is hard.” she whispered to herself.

She wasn’t as good at flying as she was as cartwheeling. Almost immediately, Beast Boy fell to the ground. Closing her eyes, she relaxed again, then slumped to the ground on her knees. She opened her eyes again and looked at her hands, squeezing them tightly.

“Awesome.” she whispered.

Beast Boy was sitting on the ground, rubbing his head. “Cool, but not cool.”

“Sorry?” she grunted while getting up.

Extending her own hand to Beast Boy, she flashed a smile. He smiled back, accepting her hand and standing up. They brushed themselves off, Starfire once again clapping. Despite the happiness, there was still one sour grape in the group. Raven walked forward, hood up.

“This is great and everything, but why don’t we start seeing her become useful? Sure, possession is great, and barriers are helpful, but are you able to attack offensively?” her hands surrounded themselves in that dark aura.

“Raven, this is a learning process. This is obviously very stressful for her.” Robin tried to persuade.

“No.” Jane put her hand out to shush him. “She’s right. It would be helpful to know if I can attack.” she allowed Raven to walk onto the field. “I’m sorry if I hurt you, Raven.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.” Raven replied, taking her own position.

Heart beating steadily, Jane attempted to map out what she could do against Raven. Like Starfire, Raven was like an amoeba. The extent of her powers were covered in a shroud, only to be uncovered like a band aid being ripped off of a wound. Jane was not going to enjoy this experience. The air horn blew and Raven began to levitate in a meditation pose.

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” she shouted, eyes enveloped in the black aura.

From her outstretched hands, black, shadow-like hands extended towards Jane.

“What the fuck?” Jane stepped back, startled.

She ran in the opposite direction, hoping to outrun them. However, Raven was able to fly after her with the hands still outstretched. This was when Jane had to use her surroundings to her advantage. Rocks were placed there for more than one reason, and getting a vantage point was one of them.

“You’re not getting away!” Raven shouted.

A hand grabbed Jane’s foot, swinging her into the air and dangling her upside-down. She closed her eyes and tried to take control, like she did last time. It burned this time. Screaming in a sort of agony, her head felt like it was on fire.

“Sorry, Jane. But you can’t possess me.” Raven tossed her into the rocks.

_Then what am I supposed to do?_ she thought, aggravated.

The rocks began to float, enveloped in the black.

“What’s the matter? Maybe you’re not fit to be one of us after all.” she taunted, the hands disappearing.

Standing up, Jane scowled.

“I saw your hands last night. Stop hiding in there.” she made more rocks levitate.

Rocks shot into Jane’s shoulders, legs, and feet. Shouting out in pain, she began to feel something inside of her. Raven continued hovering towards her, mocking her. Trying to block it out, she closed her eyes.

_You hardly even know me._

Her heart began to beat harder.

_But you have the nerve to ridicule me?_

Her eyes opened again.

“Are you ready to give up, Jane?”

“STOP TALKING!” Jane shouted.

Using her adrenaline to leap off of a taller rock, her eyes and hands radiated a dazzling white light, tackling Raven while she was in mid-air. Taken aback, Raven gasped and her spell was interrupted. Both of them rolled to a halt on the ground, but Jane jumped up first. Raven collected herself as Jane’s own aura molded itself into shapes of its own. They also became hands, but not as large and ominous looking as Raven’s.

“There it is.” Raven brushed herself off.

Jane ran at Raven with alarming speed, spin kicking her in the face. Raven flew backward, stopping herself with her levitation. She activated her spell again, only this time, using her own possession technique. She literally had an ‘out of body experience’, her spirit flying at Jane with the intent of defeating her. Jane allowed her body to absorb the spirit, but was able to combat it with her own possession. Both of them remained motionless, neither one of them allowed the other to move. Jane smirked. But when Jane was about to end Raven’s possession, Robin blew the air horn.

“Okay guys that’s enough! Jane, you proved yourself just fine. You can relax now. You too, Raven.” Robin almost hopped down from his post.

Raven released Jane, Jane’s heart rate calming down. They both needed a second to stretch out, but Jane extended her hand for a high five when Raven walked by.

“Whatever you did, you got me to do what you wanted.”

“I don’t do high fives.” Raven didn’t make eye contact.

Her hand drooped sadly. In a flash, Starfire was by her side with a first-aid kit.

“I am not here to fight, I just want to provide medical attention.” she hovered next to Jane.

“Sure, no problem.” Jane rolled up her sleeves, only to see a healed scab. “What the?”

“You are unharmed?” Starfire even sounded puzzled.

“I…I guess so.” she had an idea and looked up at Raven. “Raven, can you come here?”

Also puzzled, Raven walked out to them. “What?”

“Where did I hurt you?” Jane asked, concerned.

“Just my leg. It’s just a scratch.” Raven shrugged.

A scratch it may have been, but Jane used it as a golden opportunity. She got down on one knee and looked at Raven’s calf, where the scratch was. Hovering her hand over it, she concentrated. Suddenly, her hand began to glow, the glow spreading to around the scratch as well. The scratch closed, shrinking into Raven’s skin until it couldn’t be seen anymore. When the glow subsided, Jane stood up.

“I can heal too.” she said aloud.

“This is great!” Starfire literally threw the first-aid kit over the edge of the tower.

Everyone looked on at the edge, hearing the splash when the kit hit the lake.

“Star, girl, we needed that.” Cyborg sighed.

Everyone began to laugh while Raven just sulked back over to her spot. Jane scratched the back of her arm and laughed with them.

Terra came up to her and slapped her shoulder. “I’m next. Sorry that this is a bit repetitive.”

Jane shrugged. “I’m having fun.”

As Terra walked away, Jane thought she had heard something. “Did you say something?”

Terra turned around. “What? No.”

“Oh. Sorry, never mind.” Jane laughed awkwardly.

_…at’s really….nterest..g…_

She tried cleaning out her ears with her pinkies.

_…we goin….start….r not?_

That’s when Jane noticed that Terra was standing ready, tapping her foot. After Jane gave the thumbs up, the horn blared and Terra ran forward.

The ground beneath Jane’s feet began to rumble, so she looked down. When she did, the ground beneath her thrust upward. She was thrown into the air, leaving Terra below her with a comic smile on her face. On the impact with the ground, she protected herself by creating a barrier around her, creating a small crater in the ground. Amused, Terra turned the crater into a bowl-shape, entrapping Jane inside. Jane panicked, fearing that she might lose air or get crushed. In her mind, she was screaming. In her worry, her hands began to glow again.

_Let me out, let me out._

She punched at the walls and scratched at the dirt.

_LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!_

She tried to break out with her possession, with her embodied hands, but nothing was working.

_LETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUT!!!!_

Suddenly, the dome was thrust open and she was surrounded by her friends.

“—did you keep that for so long?!” she heard Robin shout.

“I thought she was going to be able to break out! I didn’t mean to scare her!” Terra defended herself.

Her shoulder was being tapped. With wide eyes, she looked up to see Cyborg taking her hand, lifting her up.

“Hey, are you alright?” he was asking her.

“I actually thought I was gonna die. I knew I wasn’t but was scared I might.” she was shaking.

“We heard you scream.” Beast Boy told her.

“What?” she blinked. “I didn’t scream…” she looked at her feet.

“We heard you loud and clear.” Raven muttered.

 

“Shit, are you kidding me?” he said to himself. “I heard that.”

“Heard what?” another male voice asked.

“You’re really dumb if you’re telling me you didn’t hear that.” he lashed back.

“Ouch, I’m really dumb. You know what, that hurts.” the other man snickered.

He rolled his eyes and slumped back in his chair. The other man tapped the bars from the outside.

“You’re not in the position to be insulting me, boy,” he gripped a bar. “You’re the one in the jail cell.”

“This is hardly a jail cell, it’s just a big bedroom with bars instead of a door. Just hook me up with a laptop and I’m set.” he laughed.

He growled. “What was your name? John? Well, John, I’d like to tell you that you won’t be leaving. As I know you might want to.”

“Bullshit, I’m leaving Whenever I want to. I have to find—“

            “Jane?” the man finished.

John clammed up. “What?”

“What’s wrong?” he smiled. “That’s who you were traveling with, right?”

“How did you know her name?” John stood up.

The man shrugged. “Because she’s here.”

“You’re lying! She wouldn’t allow herself to be captured by a fruit loop like you.” John narrowed his eyes.

As if like an illusion, John saw Jane appear before his eyes, by this man’s side.

“See? She’s right here.”

John charged at the bars, but the image disappeared.

“Sike.” he met John’s face at the bars with a smirk.

John fell to his knees. _I can’t believe I let him trick me like that._

“It’s nothing to beat yourself up over, kid.” he tapped the bars again.

The bars disappeared in front of his eyes.

“I can let you free, you can go find your friend, just as long as you do a little something for me first.”

The bars became real again, leaving John frustrated. “You bastard, what’s your name?”

The man laughed. “Call me Brother Blood.”

 

“I’m telling you, you don’t have to feel embarrassed about it.” Robin tried comforting.

“I basically made a fool of myself, I seriously thought I was gonna die.” Jane covered her face with her arms.

“Well, Terra says she’s sorry.”

“It’s okay, it was a thing. I don’t care anymore.”

“Well, at least you started to control those powers of yours.” Robin half smiled.

She stayed silent for a minute. “Yea, you’re right. But I don’t want to be a burden.”

Suddenly, a piercing alarm went off in the main room, with a red light pairing with it.

“What the fuck.” Jane was taken aback.

“Good news, you get to fight with us!” Robin ran to the monitor.

The others burst through the doors, excited and ready. Terra made guilty eye-contact with Jane, but Jane provided a fake smile to get her off the guilt-boat. She stood up off the couch, ready to stand with them, but understandably scared.

“It’s Cinderblock. He’s destroying the radio tower!” Robin shouted, looking at the screen.

_What the fucking fuck are we doing right now I’m so fucking confused._

“Just stick with me, girl. I know you’re confused.” Cyborg whispered to her while Robin barked orders, not even looking at them.

“Titans, go!” Robin shouted, turning around.

With that, Cyborg lifted Jane by her arm and threw her onto his back. “Hang on tight!”

She held onto his shoulders as he followed the rest of the pack down stairs, through doors, and outside. Once they reached outside, Robin ‘got a lift’ from Starfire, Terra used a boulder to float on, Beast Boy turned into a hawk, and Raven helped Cyborg across the water with her powers. Jane wasn’t so concerned with falling off of Cyborg as she was with the incredible view she was receiving. Mid-day, the sun was high in the sky and the beautiful blue water glistened beneath her. She could see a tattered reflection of them all flow over the surface, but she was careful not to look down for too long.

“So, what’s the deal here? Are we going in with a plan?” Jane asked Cyborg.

“Cinderblock is what his name entails, a walking pile of cinderblocks. He’s hard, so don’t go punching him. We just have to hit him hard enough consecutively in order to make him either pass out or give up. When we get to Cinderblock,” Cyborg glanced back at her. “Raven’s gonna drop me on top of him. I want you to leap off and do your thing.”

The adrenaline pouring through her was incredible. Nodding, she thought of what she could possibly do to help.

“And here’s a word of advice; don’t think about it, just do it.”

“Don’t think about it. Just do it.” she breathed.

            Nearing the city, she could see billowing smoke rising from the radio tower. Something she had never thought about before was that she didn’t know the layout of Jump City. She was going to have to wing it. People were running up and down sidewalks when they were finally overhead. Starfire released Robin and he got a good vantage point from a nearby building. Starfire hovered next to him, and Beast Boy took the initiative with the first attack. Morphing into a whale, he crashed on top of Cinderblock, creating a large cloud of dust.

            “Alright girl, here we go!” Cyborg shouted.

            Raven released them, sending Cyborg and Jane falling into the crash site. Jane jumped off of Cyborg’s back, allowing him to use his laser while flying at full speed towards Cinderblock.

            “Cowabunga!” Cyborg shouted as he made contact.

            With Cinderblock dazed, it was a sure opening for Jane to launch her own attack. Memories of her training came to mind, thinking of how she created the crater with her barrier. Smiling, she straightened her body and seemed to fly at Cinderblock, using her speed as an advantage. She summoned a barrier, a complete sphere, around her whole body. Like a cannon ball, she shot right into her foe with alarming force, not only stunning him, but rattling her brain a little as well. The impact created another heap of dust, causing her to cough when her barrier dissolved. She was on the ground a few feet away from Cinderblock, but she stood up to regroup with the others. Cyborg gave her a huge high five.

            “Did that do it?” Beast Boy asked.

            They got their answer when the smoke cleared, allowing them to see that Cinderblock was standing back up. Jane tightened her fists and tried to think of another tactic. Cinderblock came charging at them, picking up a large mac truck to use as a weapon. He swung at Starfire, who attempted to block by shooting green lasers at it, but inevitably she was hit with it. Such an action made Robin distracted, allowing Cinderblock to punch him into a building. Raven was holding her own with her powers, but it seemed like they hadn’t made any headway at all. That’s when a light bulb went off in her head.

            “Cyborg, throw me.” she said, staring at Cinderblock.

            “What?”

            “Throw me!” she looked at him.

            Cyborg lifted her up, Jane tucking in her legs, curling into a ball.

            “Aim for his face.” she instructed. “And then shoot at that main cinderblock on his chest.” she pointed to it. “He’s like a brick house. There needs to be a support somewhere.”

            “If you say so.” Cyborg prepped to throw.

            Beast Boy captured Cinderblock’s attention by becoming a humming bird, zipping around and being mildly annoying.

            “Now!” she shouted.

            Cyborg hurled her into the air. Keeping in a ball, she shot right at Cinderblock’s face. When she was at a close enough distance, she extended her arms and legs so she had a better landing radius. She had a good landing, latching onto the monster’s face as it howled and roared in confusion and anger. He began to whip his head around aggressively, also swatting at her to get her off.

            “Cyborg!” she shouted.

            “Target locked!” he shouted back.

            Cyborg fired his laser, it connecting perfectly with the block Jane had told him about. Cinderblock let out a curdling scream that almost burst Jane’s ear drums. She kept holding on as Cyborg continuously kept the laser stream going. Jane held on for dear life as Cinderblock thrashed about. Feeling incapable of holding on anymore, she pressed her forehead up to his with glowing eyes.

            “Stop thrashing, it’s giving me a headache.” she instructed bluntly.

            Like a shock went through her, she felt herself inside of Cinderblock. The weight being so much for her to handle, she forced Cinderblock onto his knees and to the ground. The strangest sight for her was to see herself holding on to Cinderblock, as she peered through his eyes. Cinderblock’s weight fell so heavily that she allowed themselves to fall backward onto the pavement. Cyborg finally stopped the stream, leaving Cinderblock weakened on the street. Jane closed her eyes and breathed in, still holding onto Cinderblock’s face. Standing up, she saw Raven hover over her and land behind Cinderblock’s head. She gave a thumbs up to Robin. Jane jumped off of Cinderblock’s body, leaving him to lie there. On Robin’s way over to Cinderblock’s body he gave Jane a friendly punch on the shoulder.

            “Great job.”

            “Thank you.” she smiled wide.

`”WHAT A PLAN, WHAT A PLAN.” Cyborg shouted in muse.

“Dude, I couldn’t have done it without your laser. It made him weak enough for me to get him. THAT wasn’t a part of the plan, but I’m glad it happened.” she scratched the back of her head.

“Well, now we need to take care of where to hold him. Cyborg, can you get in contact with the police? Terra, imprison him in the earth so he can’t get away.” Robin ordered.

Terra forced the earth to entomb Cinderblock’s arms and legs, so if he would awaken, he would not escape. Jane sighed. She helped stop a bad guy. The feeling made her stomach feel warm on the inside; it made her tingle with glee.

“Now that the authorities are on the way, our work here is done.” Robin clapped his hands. “Are we having pizza or what?”

The others cheered with gleeful agreement, raising their fists in the air. Raven solely nodded. Jane held her smile for a while, taking in the moment and letting the feeling sink in. 

Superheroes must get some sort of deal on pizza, because they surely ordered an expensive amount of it. Jane and Beast Boy got into several disagreements about who could eat the fastest. Several of those disagreements were solved with games of rock-paper-scissors. Long story short, Jane was really bad at rock-paper-scissors. Mustard also seemed to be an all-time favorite topping to Starfire, because she used it on all of her slices. Beast Boy told the shittiest jokes, but it was okay. Cyborg hogged most of the French fries, but it was okay. Raven was Raven, only eating small amounts…but it was okay. In the midst of a slice, Robin raised his cup of soda.

“I want to make a soda toast to Jane.” he looked at her with pizza dangling from her mouth. “For becoming an official titan, and an official friend.”

Everyone lifted their cups and smiled, even Raven gave a flash of one. Jane swallowed her pizza, not knowing how to react.

“To Jane!” they all plonked their cups together.

Jane covered her mouth a little bit, while Beast Boy was an ass and dumped Terra’s soda onto herself and laughed. Terra got him back immediately by breaking the earth where his chair was sitting, causing him to tip over. Taking another bite of her pizza, Jane’s attention was caught by Terra.

“Speaking of ruined clothes, we need to get you a wardrobe. You need your own look for the team.” she made a square with her thumbs and fingers, ‘examining’ through it like a picture.

Jane’s favorite color was purple, but she had noticed that was taken. Beast Boy had his own purple and black thing going on, Raven had her dark colors, Terra was like a bee with her black shirt and yellow shorts, Robin was just fucking Christmas, Starfire had purplish pink everything, and Cyborg was a robot. Purple purple purple.

“Well, her powers are white, how about a bright color?” Suggested Starfire.

“Yea, but she’s a sassy butt face.” Beast Boy brought up.

“With hair on point.” Terra pointed out.

“And grey eyes…with a jeans obsession.” Robin said with Cyborg nodding in agreement.

Jane stood up. “I know just what to get.”

“If it’s plaid—’’ Robin started.

“I WILL BE THE PLAID TITAN AND NOBODY CAN STOP ME.” she announced.


	3. Red Alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slade makes his first appearance, igniting a flame within the ranks of the Titans that throws Jane off guard. Establishing her powers more, she tries her hardest to not only find John, but also establish an identity for herself...but in order to do that, she has to lie to the friends that have helped her thus far. After a second attack from Slade, she succumbs to his power, Titans only there to watch.

_“You can’t be the ‘plaid titan’. You never will be the plaid titan.” a voice inside of her dreams told her._

_She sat in a chair; the room was so hot and so cold at the same time. The room was familiar. It was that same god forsaken place she had run away from. The Sanitarium Room at North Bridge Children’s Home. That god forsaken room. White walls, white floor, white clothes. Sanitarium Room was the room all children with powers entered in order to get ‘detoxed’. Torturous is a simple word when describing the procedures. Jane didn’t understand why she was back, she didn’t understand why she was strapped to that chair again, feeling that same feeling of insane hatred and sadness towards these people. However, this person, presumably a man, had no real form. It was a black mass, just a black mass, circling the chair with a wicked tone in his voice._

_“I find it interesting that their cocky happiness was able to rub off on you so quickly.” the voice was in her ear. “So tell me. Why are you so frightened of this place?”_

_When she tried to speak, she physically could not move her mouth or use her tongue. A mouth guard was always soaked in a liquid before use, it would numb the mouth and throat so there could be no retaliation. The same process would be done to her hands, only they would be soaking in the bowl with her guard. Her first time in Sanitarium was memorable for all of the wrong reasons._

_“They used their words and techniques to scare you out of using your powers. But that wasn’t the only thing, if I’m correct.”_

_John was always outside, shaking his head. “I told you not to use them.” he always scolded when she came out._

_“He doesn’t have any powers.” the counsellors always said. He was just there to be dropped off and cared for._

_All Jane wanted to know was who this man was and how he knew everything. More importantly, why was he here and why now? If she tried to summon her powers, the faceless embodiments of the counsellors would prod her with syringes. To them, it seemed more like a disciplinary science project than a detox some of the time. The black mass moved to in front of her again and opened the door where a red light was blinking._

The alarm was sounding again, only this time, at eleven at night. Startled, she scrambled out of bed and got dressed in new, clean clothing. A longer purple plaid shirt with jeans and combat boots, and while she ran down the hallway, she put her hair into a high ponytail. Blaring in her ears, the alarm refused to cease until she reached the end of the corridor and into the main room. Thankfully she wasn’t the only one walking in, as the other ladies were walking in at about the same time. Beast Boy looked incredibly sleepy, rubbing his eyes frequently and yawning in the middle of sentences.

“Who’s attacking the city at eleven? Don’t they know we’re asleep?” he asked Robin, who was standing at the monitor.

Robin didn’t answer him.

“Robin?” Starfire asked.

“Jane should sit this one out.” he uttered.

“What do you mean?” Jane asked, stepping forward.

“No offense, but you aren’t ready for an enemy like this. Cinderblock was one thing, but…” he stopped mid-sentence.

“It’s Slade, isn’t it?” Cyborg asked seriously.

Robin nodded.

Her heart skipped a beat, but she had no idea why. Slade was an incredible enigma to her; she had never seen him in her life. Hell, she had only just been inaugurated into the Titans that day. However, the description Robin had given her inspired her enough to call out her powers. Clenching her fists, she looked Robin dead in the face.

“I’m going whether you like it or not.”

The others were honestly surprised. Looking at each other, they were all obviously trying to think of reconsideration, or even trying to think of a list of reasons why she shouldn’t go. Robin looked away from her to think. Jane stood her ground, fists clenched, and teeth gritting to show her determination.

“Just be careful.” he replied. “Now we need to go. Terra?” he looked to Terra, who looked increasingly more uncomfortable with every second. “Are you okay going?”

 _Why would Terra not be okay with going?_ Jane thought to herself.

“Y-yea.” she cleared her throat. “I can go.”

Robin sighed a heavy breath. “Titans, move out!”

 

            Heavy smoke billowed from the rooftops, and explosions were heard in certain areas of the city. As the Titans took the same overhead route as they had taken earlier that day, Jane’s previous sense of bewilderment was replaced with concentrated fear. Fire was soaring into the sky and she could hear innocent people screaming. Her hands shook on Cyborg’s shoulders as she rode over the lake. Nobody had spoken since the tower, especially Terra. She looked even more scared than Jane. But why? Gulping, Jane tried to calm down by breathing. She tried thinking of John, and thinking of the probability of him being safe.

            _John, I know you can’t hear me, but if you’re alive and okay, I want you to know that I’m about to fight something big. I’m scared, but I think I can do it. The Titans are my friends, and I know they can back me up. After this, I’m going to come looking for you. I promise._

“Prepare to drop, guys.” Robin announced.

            Obviously, they weren’t going to be taking the almightier approach like they had with Cinderblock. They were going to land at a safe distance, but at the same time, they were going to make their presence known to their enemy. As they landed, Jane coughed from the amount of smoke in the air.

            “How is this able to happen? How is he doing this?” Jane asked, climbing off of Cyborg.

            “It’s a long story.” Raven answered.

            Robin angrily looked around. “Where are you?!” he shouted with balled up fists.

            Jane put herself on guard, looking around the perimeter for their enemy. For an extra measure, she began to prepare a barrier, in case of a sneak attack. However, the barrier came to a halt when a burling ball of flame was hurled in her general direction. Instead of racking up a shield for the whole team, she needed to use it for herself. Everything began going so fast, as suddenly Robin was thrown against a building. Jane kept her wits about her, raising her hands to a combat stance. The others had a similar idea.

            “But I don’t understand, his Ring of Azar was destroyed!” she heard Cyborg exclaim.

            “That doesn’t mean he can’t find another one.” Raven replied.

            Terra looked just as confused as Jane did. Looking at each other, they stuck to each other’s backs like glue.

            “Back me up, okay?” Terra asked.

            “I should be asking you that.” Jane replied, sweating.

            A scream came from Starfire when she was hurled into a building opposite Robin. Suddenly, Jane saw it: a flash of black and silver, going immediately for her stomach. Jumping backwards, she narrowly avoided a kick, but received a punch to the face instead. She was sent rolling across the pavement rubble, coughing as she had to inhale quick amounts of smoke. Terra no longer had a lifeline and was forced to fight without her. Jane stood up, facing the direction of her enemy. He looked just like the pictures, only scarier up close.

            “If this is all you have to offer tonight, perhaps I’m wasting my time.” his statement was aimed at them all.

            Robin’s screams echoed from across the street as he barreled towards Slade with fists of fury, getting into a hand-to-hand battle with his worst enemy. Jane silently cheered on from the sidelines, but realized that Slade was dodging the attacks with no effort at all. As soon as he got an opening, he got Robin with an uppercut, sending him flying into the air. Raven caught him in midair before he could hit the ground.

            “We need to use teamwork…” she whispered to herself.

            Beast Boy flew down next to her, morphing from hawk to human again.

            “Robin isn’t cooperating. Any ideas?”

            Jane watched and paced around the action with her eyes as it was happening. Terra was scared silly; she couldn’t seem to do anything. Cyborg was attempting to use his lasers, but the target moved too quickly. Looking at Terra again, Jane realized they needed her help.

            “Terra!” she screamed into cupped hands.

            Terra’s attention was seized, so she rushed over in a panic. “What’s going on?”

            “Can you lock his feet in rocks?” Jane asked, raising a shield.

            “I can try.” Terra replied.

            “Good, great. Do that when I say to, okay? You have to trust me!” Cyborg flew past her as she spoke.

            “No, Jane, you don’t know this enemy well enough! You can’t do anything!” Terra screamed.

            “Just fucking trust me!” she shouted in her face. “Beast Boy, I need you to become a cheetah, I need some speed!”

            Beast Boy morphed into a cheetah, and Jane mounted him. Her hands glowed their radiant light, and her eyes were even brighter. To her luck, Slade was once again getting into it with Robin, only this time, Starfire was helping.

            “Terra, now!” Jane shouted as she pointed for Beast Boy to go.

            Racing forward, Beast Boy charged at the fight while Terra did her job. Slade’s feet became entombed in rock, and sure enough, he noticed. He made eye contact with Jane as she stormed forward on Beast Boy, pointing her hands in his direction. A white hand developed from her hands and grabbed him, pushing him against a building. Jane proceeded to jump off of Beast Boy, the hand gripping Slade tightly against the building. As she moved towards him, a bright flame began trickling down the span of the hand. The flames grew, moving faster and faster up the glowing white mass. Her eyes widened, letting out a scream as the flames reached her flesh. In an instant, the hand gripping her enemy disappeared. Waving her hands around to stop the burning sensation, she frantically looked around her surroundings to find him. She heard Robin call out to her.

            “JANE!”

            A brute force rammed into her, knocking the wind out of her immediately. It was foolish to lose sight of him like that, as it was foolish to think her plan was going to work.

            “That was a neat trick,” she heard him say. “but you’re going to need more than that if you’re going to defeat me.” she heard the cracking of knuckles.

            Shakily, she stood to face him. Flames engulfed his hands and he didn’t seem affected in the slightest. She glanced to her teammates, who were running her direction to assist her, but her vision was interrupted with Slade’s fist colliding with her cheek, sending her flying even farther away from them.

            “I’m you’re target, not them. Keep your eyes on me.” he taunted.

            Wiping blood from her nose, she stood up again. At this rate, help or teamwork didn’t seem to be an option. It was up to her to create a distraction and get away from him.

            “Not very talkative, are you?” he walked toward her.

            She held her ground, hands glowing as she attempted to attack him with her figments of white. He shrugged them off like they were nuisance toys. His eye widening, he concocted a ball of fire, thrusting it in her direction.

            “Oh my god…” she stepped back in fear, creating a barrier around herself.

            The fireball hit the barrier, but the strength of it knocked her back nonetheless. Through the smoke, she decided on another tactic. Kneeling, first checking around her for another sneak attack, she laid her palms on the ground and concentrated, making it seem like she was tired.

            “Oh, come now.” he crossed his arms.

            White hands exploded from the ground and wrapped themselves around his legs and body. Using this much strength to keep him in place was exhausting, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Struggling to hold him there, she heard him laugh.

            “Again, you’ll have to do better than that.”

            The hands erupted into violent flames, withering to nothing and allowing him to walk freely once again. From behind, Cyborg and Starfire were working on an advance, shooting at him with their lasers. His eye seemed to twitch and, while roaring, chucked another fireball around and at them. Jane sprinted forward at him, fists curled and teeth grinding. What she wanted to do was an extreme long shot and, from the shouts of her teammates, it was extremely risky. She leapt onto Slade’s back, which he must have seen coming because he tried shaking her off instantly. She avoided his fiery hands by the skin of her teeth as he tried grabbing at her. Her eyes glowed white and she held on for dear life. Possession was most likely the only way out.

            “JANE, WAIT!” she heard Robin shout.

            Her face was grabbed by a scorching hot hand, a hand that threw her to the ground. Her face burned intensely, hoping and praying her face wasn’t going to melt off.

            “ _I see you’re trying to be a pesky rat_.” he growled angrily, pressing his foot into her chest. 

            Struggling to breathe, she cried out.

            “BACK OFF, SLADE!” Robin shouted, darting at them full speed.

            He didn’t move or take the pressure off of her. In fact, he intensified the weight on his foot, twisting it and pressing it into her ribcage.

            _“Release your power and show me what you’re made of.”_ a voice inside of her head told her.

            Screaming in pain, she grabbed Slade’s foot and tried pulling it off of her. Robin was striking him with a metal pole, Slade easily able to block it like it were a fragile icicle. The teammates were distracting him enough, now that Raven and Terra were assisting in the offensive. However, she felt air slowly being withdrawn from her lungs due to the weight on her chest. Gripping his foot tightly with glowing hands, all she thought of was hurting him. She envisioned the hands sprouting up his leg and intensifying to cause him pain. It must have working, because Slade looked down in surprise and shouted something painfully. Using her full strength, she lifted his foot from her ribcage and rolled away, leaving the rest of the fight to the Titans. Gasping and panting, she needed to maintain a safe distance away from the fight, fearing being dragged back into helplessness. Doubled over on her hands and knees, she listened to the fight, seeming to finally gain some headway in the battle. Her heart raced, blood boiled in her veins, she could feel her heart beat in her forehead and temples. Finally, there was the clinking of metal, the clinking of retreating feet. Lifting her head, she saw the retreating figure of Slade. Before she could smile in relief, she saw him stop and turn his head, locking stares with her. Something about his stare sent a frightening chill down her spine. Her eyes widened, breathing heightened, and limbs shook. He blinked and turned around, continuing his retreat into the darkness. All she could do was stare blankly at his path of exit. Suddenly, she felt the sensation of being shaken by hands.

            “Jane, are you listening to me?!”a voice shouted in her ear.

            Blinking, she turned her head to see Terra’s horrified expression. Jane wiped her mouth and nose and slowly stood up, hand covering her chest.

            “Yea…yea, I’m okay…” she nodded slowly, still wide-eyed.

            Beast Boy turned into an elephant, frantically trying to douse the flames that were swarming the city. Raven was assisting the process, being governed by Cyborg through the whole thing in case they missed a spot. Starfire and Robin came running over to join Terra in examining Jane’s welfare.

            “Didn’t you hear me out there?! I thought you were smarter than just attacking like that!” Robin shouted.

            “Yes, because I had a fucking choice in the matter when it came down to almost fucking dying.” she narrowed her eyes at him. “Nobody was making any headway, so I figured I would take the offensive.”

            Starfire examined Jane’s face. “It seems your effective healing has kicked in.” she nodded.

            Jane sighed. “Why did he attack the city in the first place? He didn’t gain anything from it.”

            Robin crossed his arms and looked at Terra, then back up at Jane. “You don’t understand his way of thinking. He did have some sort of motive, and whether he got what he wanted or not…I have no idea.”

            Jane looked at her hands, still trembling from the sight of Slade and his nearly crushing her.

            “Are you okay?” Robin asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

            She looked at his hand. “I’m fine. Let’s just put these fires out and leave.”

            All of the Titans worked their hardest to douse the flames Slade had left behind, Beast Boy doing most of the work, his elephant trunk spewing out constant streams of water. Jane encompassed sections of fire inside of spheres so there would be no source of oxygen to the raging heat. Terra covered sections with mud and rocks, Raven using her magic to put out the flames. Eventually, all of the fire had been put out, leaving behind black ash and rubble. The city was no longer lit with orange and yellow, it was now darkened and cold. Looking up at the sky, Jane saw that the moon was covered by clouds. Someone placed their hand on her shoulder, making her jump.

            “Geez, are you sure you’re okay?” it was Terra.

            “Yea, I’m sorry.” Jane nodded. “Hey, uh…I’m sorry for shouting at you during the fight. You were right, I couldn’t do anything. I don’t know why I thought I could…”

            “It’s okay.” Terra smiled. “I’m just happy you’re alive and kicking.”

            “I’m just happy he didn’t burn my face off…” she patted her cheeks with her hands.

            With Slade driven off and the city’s fire put out, the Titans gathered themselves together to return to the tower. Terra, being considerate, allowed Jane to ride on top of her rock with her. As they all flew with their means of transportation, Jane couldn’t help but keep looking back at the city. She wasn’t concerned in the slightest about Terra’s maneuverability with the rocks; she just wanted to get home to her nice, soft bed. The clouds uncovered the moon, causing the light to filter down onto their faces.

            “Jane, girl, are you alright?” Cyborg asked.

            She looked over at him. “Yea. I’m fine.”

            Terra looked at her, Jane facing away and looking down at the water. The tower was in sight, getting closer and closer until finally, they descended onto the shore, the giant T looming over them all. Beast Boy reverted back to his human form and yawned obnoxiously.

            “Hoo boy, am I ready for bed.” he stretched.

            As he limbered into the tower, Raven followed, not uttering a ‘good night’ or anything similar. Terra smiled at her as she and Cyborg walked in as well, he talking about how squeaky his arm was getting, twisting it all around. Starfire hovered next to her and patted her shoulder.

            “Jane, you should not be upset. Slade is a terrifying man, so I understand your concern for your well-being.”

            _Why do people keep talking like I’m afraid or something? I’m just tired. Jesus._

“Thank you, Starfire.” she nodded. “I’ll get right to sleep.”

            As Starfire left her presence, only she and Robin remained outside in the moonlight. His footsteps sounded behind her and her eye twitched.

            “If you’re about to ask me if I’m okay, I’m gonna kick your ass.” she crinkled her brows.

Robin let out a quick ‘oh’ and retracted his hand in mid-air. As she thought, he was going to put his hand on her shoulder _again_.

“Listen, I’m sorry I exposed you to someone like that so quickly. You’re new to this and—”

“Robin, put a sock in it. I didn’t expect to twinkle-toes my way through this hero business, so being knocked around like that is only typical, right? Please don’t treat me like some kid, because I’m not. It pisses me off if I’m treated like a child.” she huffed. “I don’t mean to be salty with you, but that’s just me right now. I appreciate your concern.”

“Right, I’m sorry. But thank you for all you’ve done today. You helped us defeat Cinderblock and you helped make Slade retreat to…wherever the hell he went. I’m glad you’re on the team, Jane.” he smiled.

Rubbing her eyes and yawning, she gave him a thumbs up. “Glad to be here, man. Now I’m going to sleep. Peace out.” she entered the tower.

 

**Jane’s Room**

Despite what she had told Robin, Jane couldn’t sleep a wink. Sitting upright all night long, she could only squint in the darkness while her mind raced about so many things at once. Her window was open, allowing the cool air to drift in. The moon lit up the carpet, creating a rectangle of luminosity from where the moon’s rays were leaking in. Looking down at her hands, she concentrated.

_John… Can you hear me? I’m trying my hardest to reach you, but I can’t feel the link connect to you…_

Her hands glowed with radiant light, but they didn’t shine as much as she needed.

_John, I swear, I will find you. If you can hear me right now, just know that I’m safe._

Pounding her mattress, she knew her messages weren’t getting through. She tightened her hands into fists and focused harder.

_JOHN!_

As her thoughts pounded, she felt blood dribble out of her nose. Gasping, she covered her nose with her hand and rushed over to her desk, where there was a box of tissues waiting for her. Shoving the tissues against her right nostril, she looked down at her hand, now covered in her blood.

“Yuck…ew…gross…” she held it in front of her, trying to find a way to clean it off. “I can’t take the tissue off, that’d suck even more…I gotta go to the bathroom. I gotta go to the bathroom…” she waddled to her door, tilting her head back to halt the flow. “Yuck.”

Using her elbows to grip the door handle, pushing the door open and wandering out into the dim light of the hallway.

“Shit…where’s the bathroom again?” she looked around, trying to remember where to go. “I can’t dawdle; someone might see me and freak out…”

Finding the door quickly, she slithered inside and closed the door quietly. Among the sinks inside, she could see hair care products all over the place, along with moisturizers and lotions. Letting out a relieved sigh, she leaned over a sink and removed the tissue, the river of nasty thankfully stopping.

“Sweet…” she threw the tissue out.

She washed her hands with the cold water from the faucet, happy to see the red stains diminish from her hands. Smiling, she bent over the sink and splashed water onto her mouth and nose to wash the stickiness away. Afraid her nose might start bleeding if she retreated her nose from over the sink, she felt around for a hand towel. She found one and dabbed her face carefully with the soft cotton. When she removed the towel from her face and looked in the mirror, she gasped.

“Oh what a bother, a nose bleed.” he clicked his tongue and shook his head. “That’s what happens when you push it, right Jane?”

In the mirror, Slade was standing behind her. However, when she whipped around to face him, there was nobody there. She was breathing heavily out of shock, but it calmed very quickly.

“I’m fucking seeing things now… I really need to go to sleep. Like, now.”

Quickly but quietly, she left the bathroom and sped back to her room, gently closing the door behind her. She was met with a cool breeze from her window, calming her nerves a bit. The carpet was still shining from the moonlight and her bed looked even more comforting than before. Plopping down on her bed, her back hit the mattress and her eyes closed. Thoughts still raced through her head, even though she told herself she needed to fall asleep.

“Tick, tock, tick, tock. You’re still not asleep, are you?” she heard his voice again.

Her eyes popped open and she sat up in bed.

“Where are you?” her voice shook. “Why are you following me?”

There was no answer. Looking all around, there was no space or crevice where he could be hiding. Standing, she slammed her window shut, thinking he might try to sneak in that way.

“Jane, just calm down…” she told herself. “Why would he follow you home? Or sneak into your room? Just go to sleep. You’re going to be fine.”

Despite what she told herself, she couldn’t.

 

**Morning**

Jane got dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, not feeling the plaid. Exiting her room, she was met with nobody, to her relief. She had tossed and turned all night, no comfort coming from anywhere. After her nose bleed, she couldn’t fall asleep. No other voices were heard after she closed her window, so she was at least thankful for that. When she reached the main room, stomach growling, she was surprised to see nobody there.

            “Well…it is only seven in the morning.” she muttered, opening the fridge. “Rad, we have grapes.” she smiled, pulling the bag of grapes out of the fruit-drawer.

            Closing the fridge with her hip, she crunched on a plump grape. Nobody was around, so she looked out their giant paneling window like a dweeb. The sun’s early light reflected nicely off the water’s surface, bringing a smile to her face. As she chewed on more grapes, she heard the door open again.

            “Yo girl, why you up so early?” it was Cyborg.

            “I could be asking you the same question.” Jane smiled. “Want a grape?”

            Cyborg walked over to her and took a handful of grapes off the stem. “Sweet.”

            They stood there in silence, chewing on fruit and looking outside.

            “Have you gotten anything on John?” Jane broke the silence.

            “Not yet.” he swallowed. “I bet you’re worried about him.”

            “He was the only one there without powers…so I don’t know what they would do to him if they captured him.”

            “Captured him?”

            _Shit._ Jane thought. _I only told Robin about why we were running, not Cyborg._

            “We were separated in the woods. We were supposed to meet up at the rendezvous point, but he must have gotten lost, or captured, or something happened to him. He doesn’t flake. If the police returned him to the orphanage, who knows what the counselors will do to him…”

            “The police?” Cyborg blinked, looking as if he was puzzling something together in his head. “Wait. That orphanage, a rendezvous point… Ya’ll broke out, didn’t you?”

            “Yes.” she chewed on a grape. “We couldn’t take it anymore. We broke out and we ran through the forest. I got separated from him quicker than I anticipated, and I expected to see him where we were supposed to, but…” she sighed. “But I couldn’t wait. I needed to keep running from them. I couldn’t be taken back there. You guys finding me must have been perfect timing, because I thought they were gaining on me pretty fast. And if they caught John…” she shivered.

            “I got it now.” he nodded.

            “I’m sorry I kept that a secret from you…I just hope you don’t view me as a criminal…” she lowered her head.

            “You’re not a criminal.” he reassured.

            Not responding, she tossed another grape into her mouth, thinking while she chewed.

            “I’ll definitely keep John on strict radar. The moment we pick him up anywhere, you’ll be the first to know. We’ll find him.”

            “Thanks, Cyborg.”

            “No problem.”

 

**Later**

            Several hours later, Robin finally made his appearance in the main room with a serious expression. Jane was reading a book while sipping some orange juice on the couch, being accompanied by Terra and Starfire. Cyborg and Beast Boy were busy playing their video games and Raven was meditating in another section of the room.

            “Oh no…” Terra whispered.

            “What’s up?” Jane asked with a raised eyebrow.

            “See his face?”

            “Yea…” she sipped again. “Why?”

            “That’s his ‘Slade face’. He’s probably about to lecture us.”

            Jane groaned and continued reading her book. While she figured that Terra was right, Robin was walking around the room grumbling to himself. If there was indeed a lecture coming, it must have been boiling in there somewhere. Beast Boy and Cyborg continued with their game, not being affected when Robin began clearing his throat.

            “Is there a reason he has that face?” Jane whispered to Terra, book covering her mouth.

            “This is the first time in, well, a _loooong_ time since hide or hair of Slade has been seen. It’s…been awhile.” Terra explained.

            Jane sighed again, thinking about _how lucky_ she was to experience this firsthand. Her brows furrowed when Robin turned the boys’ game off. Both of them moaned and complained for several minutes, Robin not caring if their gameplay was saved or not. Beast Boy grumbled under his breath and took a seat closer to the ladies, Cyborg doing the same. Raven picked up on the sudden urgency, levitating over to the couch as well. Robin had everyone’s attention, but he probably did it in the rudest way possible.

            “From last night’s performance, I can tell you all right now that we need to train better.” he started.

            Terra sighed, making Jane look at her. Was this speech regular?

            “In addition, I can tell you _for a fact_ that Slade will show up again. We need to be ready.” he started pacing in front of them.

            “ _Robin_ , what facts could you possibly have?” Cyborg asked, tilting his head back in annoyance.

            “He clearly had an intention! He retreated, so he didn’t get what he wanted!”

            Jane set her book down, only after creasing the corner of the page to save her spot. Crossing her arms, she closed her eyes to think.

            “Yea, but Robin, remember the last time you said you had facts? He was just a big figment in your brain.” Beast Boy crossed his eyes and twirled his fingers next to his head.

            “Or the time you made us be ready and he ended up takin’ you away?” Cyborg said.

            Robin curled his fists, clearly growing frustrated. What she was hearing began peaking her curiosity, but Beast Boy’s words stuck out the most.

            _A figment in his brain?_ She wondered, thinking about her scenario the night before.

            “Guys, I don’t think you understand what’s happening here!” Robin shouted. “He had his Ring of Azar back!”

            The whole group grew silent.

            “If that doesn’t worry you, even a little bit, I’m shocked. If he has those otherworldly powers, where did he get them and HOW did he get them?”

            Raven put her hood down and cleared her throat. “It’s possible to get a ring even without my father’s help.” the group laid their eyes on her, listening intently. “He would have to have some sort of proof that he survived the underworld. If he offered proof like that, he’d be granted an unbreakable ring.”

            Jane sat there with an ‘I have no idea what’s going on’ smile and just stared straight ahead, doing her best to absorb what she was listening to.

            “If that’s the case, who is he presenting that proof to?” Cyborg asked. “Ray, your dad is—”

            “I know.” she interrupted. “I haven’t felt anything regarding him, so I have no idea.” she put her hood back up. “But Robin is right, the fact he has a new ring is concerning. There has to be a purpose for it.”

            _Rings that shoot fire and The Underworld… Classy._

“So what do you suggest we do, Robin?” Terra asked. “If he is coming back, who’s to say we don’t epically fail like last night? How are we gonna prevent that?”

            “We need to train harder and keep a better lookout.” Robin pounded his fist into his palm. “Next time, we’ll be more prepared.”

            Jane slumped on the couch, sinking lower and lower so perhaps she won’t be included. She was all for training and getting more used to her powers, but this man was scary. A squeamish feeling spread all around her when she thought of having to fight him again. He nearly killed her last night, and if she hadn’t done something, he might have. Even more so, he had looked right at her as he was retreating. Maybe, she thought, that it was no big deal. But the chill went up her spine once more when she thought of his eye keeping on hers in his escape.

            “He said that maybe he was wasting his time last night…” she spoke aloud.

            “What was that?” Robin asked.

            “He said something like,” she crudely impersonated his voice, “if this is all you have to offer tonight, perhaps I’m wasting my time.”

            Terra looked away as if she were impacted by the statement. What Jane had said seemed to solidify Robin’s argument, even though she was only thinking out loud.

            “So what do you think, Robin?” Raven asked. “Considering you have ‘all of the facts’.”

            “We’re going to get stronger so nothing from the past can repeat itself.” he nodded at all of them.

            _Sure._ Jane thought. _Whatever that means._

 

            To Robin’s promise, the team upped their training schedule. Jane was introduced to new techniques that she should try when fighting enemies, along with ways to attempt to enhance her powers. There were times when she was paired up with Raven so she could learn how to strengthen the white hands she could summon. She learned quickly that hers operated a bit differently than Raven’s. Jane could conjure them whenever she felt the need, as could Raven, but Raven’s required extreme emotion to work as effectively as she wanted them to. When the team wasn’t in the middle of training, there was the occasional attack on the city. One day it was Plasmus, another day it was a blue-skinned freak magician named Mumbo Jumbo, and another day it was Overload, an electrical monster trying to absorb the city’s power supply. Jane and Cyborg became a close-knit duo, often using each other’s abilities to their advantage. Raven and her tended to clash when they used their powers at the same time, so Jane began to analyze when the best times were to jump in and help. Jane never worked with Robin during training. On the battlefield, she tried to find strategies with him, but that was the only time besides in leisurely moments where they truly interacted. In about a week, she had a better grasp on how to cooperate as a team. Beast Boy had taught her the easiest ways to ‘kick Cyborg’s butt’ in Mortal Kombat, and she took them to heart when they did play against each other. Cyborg, in turn, kept a radar going for John. Every once and a while, during the night, she would continue to try and communicate with her friend through telepathy, never getting a connection through. On a specific night, however, she thought she heard something come through the other end.

            “Okay, Jane. Concentrate.” she squeezed her eyes shut. Feeling power surge from her core, she created a message in her mind.

            _JOHN!_

Contrary to the previous nights, there seemed to be a crackle. It wasn’t a definite connection, but something was there. Something was grasping her energy and attempting to hold onto it. Breathing calmly, growing excited, she tried again.

            _JOHN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?_

Her eyes popped open when her brain was set at ease, no longer pushing through a brick wall. Either she had broken said wall, or she had been thrown out of his head. Blinking a few times, she spoke aloud.

            “John? Can you hear me okay?”

            _“Jane?”_

Her heart skipped a beat. Smiling wide, she had done it. Finally, after so many attempts, she had made connection. John.

            “Thank goodness I reached you! Are you safe? Where are you? Did the police get you?” a blaze of questions rolled out of her mouth like a raging river. “I’m just so happy you’re okay!” she curled her fists in excitement.

            _“Jane—”_ the sentences were choppy and cut off at points. _“I don’t—have—you need t—stop—powers—”_

Fearing it was her own strength unable to keep a steady connection; she closed her eyes again and focused on John’s voice. As John seemed to be repeating himself, the word he continuously said, that she could hear, was ‘stop’.

            “I can’t hear your full sentences. John, what do you mean stop? Stop what? Is someone there with you?” sweat began to drip down her face.

            _“STOP!”_

“What do you mean stop?!” she whisper-shouted, remembering the others were asleep.

            A loud ringing stabbed her brain with a horrible screech, making her clamp her hands over her ears. In an instant, she felt the connection she had with John snap like a broken cord. Instead, a new connection formed from it, a connection that was immeasurably painful. A voice she had never heard before began to speak to her.

            _“Tut, tut. You should listen to your friends when they tell you to stop using your powers. Ah, but I’m sorry to say that John can’t talk right now. Nice try though.”_

It felt like burning nails were slowly being twisted into her temples. Tears began to brim in her eyes, her breathing quickened from the pain.

            “Just break the connection…break the connection…” she whispered to herself.

            _“Break the connection, break the connection!”_ the voice mocked in her voice. _“Sorry darling, but I’m afraid my mind is more powerful than yours.”_

Standing, she kept her hands gripping her head and shook it, as if rattling a bug out of her skull. Walking in circles frantically, the voice began even mocking her movements, trying to egg her on and bully her. She accidentally rammed into a wall in her escapade, muttering ‘shit’ when she realized someone could have heard that. The voice, seeming to be a man, continuously told her that it was no use and he wouldn’t leave her head. Headaches raged across her brain like earthquakes, making her believe her skull would crack and explode like a volcano. Her hands began to glow against her hair.

            _“What’s this?”_

Jane imagined her hands snapping the connection like a twig. However, she did not receive that quick and easy ‘crackle and split’. She received the ‘painful bending before the break’ sensation. Her power was weaker than his, but somehow, she was able to bend the connection until she suddenly stopped hearing his voice. Falling to her knees, panting, she tried to ease her headaches by rubbing her temples. That didn’t help. Her hands hit the carpet when she fell forward. Opening her eyes, she saw her grey carpet stained a dark red. Gasping, she could finally feel the blood dripping from her nose. Scrambling to her feet and covering her nose, she looked around the room. Her trail was apparent, mapping her route around the room when she was shaking the man out of her head. Grabbing bunches of tissues; she pressed them to her nose and made her way to the door. She did this once before without getting caught, so she was eager to perform this task again just as quickly. As she was slipping out the door, she stubbed her toe. Uttering a quick ‘fuck’ before hopping on down the hallway, she made her way to the bathroom. As she was about to twist the doorknob open, she was startled by a voice.

            “Jane? Is that you?”

            “Aw, shit…” she hissed under her breath.

            She turned, seeing the worried Robin jog down the hallway to get to her. In her mind, she was beating herself up. Now she was going to be bombarded with questions that she didn’t feel like answering.

            “What happened to you?” he asked.

            “Just a nosebleed. Nothing I can’t handle.” she waved her hand with a smile.

            “Jane, it’s all over the front of your shirt.” he pointed out.

            Looking down, she realized he was right. Her white t-shirt with a corndog on it was drizzled and dabbed and smeared with her own blood.

            “Oh, would you look at that.” she opened the bathroom door.

            “Jane, let me help you.” he urged.

            “Robin, I think I can handle a little nosebleed.”

            The tissue in her hand was growing heavier and wetter, and to her surprise, when she took her hand away, it was drenched in red.

            “This is it, this is how I die.” she scurried to a sink, Robin following her. “Ah, geez…” she let her nose drip into the sink.

            “Why do you have a nose bleed?” Robin asked, throwing her current tissue away for her.

            “I don’t know.” she lied. “I blame biology.”

            As she turned the sink on and washed her face, she felt Robin’s eyes burn into the back of her skull.

            “Were you doing something with your powers?” he asked.

            Washing her hands, she didn’t respond.

            “You were, weren’t you?”

            “Yes.” she sighed. “I was awake and using my powers. I must have pushed it a little. It’s no big deal; please don’t make a fuss over it.”

            “I knew it. You’ve seemed a little out of it the past few days. This must be what you’ve been doing at night.”

            Her nose finally ceasing, she stood up straight to face him. His arms were crossed and his face looked sour, but he wasn’t angry with her.  

            “Why are you being testy about me being awake at three in the morning when YOU, SIR, are _also_ awake at three in the morning?”

            He was caught off guard by the question, uncrossing his arms and scratching the back of his head.

            “I was headed off to do some training upstairs.” he admitted.

            “At three in the morning?” Jane crossed her arms.

            “At three in the morning.”

            Sighing, Jane left the bathroom, holding the door open for Robin to follow her.

            “If you can’t get back to sleep, you can join me.” he offered.

            “My nose just bled and you’re offering for me to train with you. You’re a bright one.”

            “You don’t have to, but it’s obvious you won’t be returning to bed any time soon. Your eyes are wide open and more awake than I’ve ever seen anyone. So you wanna come?”

            “Let me put on a different shirt at least.”

            Laughing, they both walked back to her room. Remembering the stains on the carpet, she slithered into her room and quickly closed the door behind her so Robin wouldn’t see anything. Whipping her bloody shirt off, she quickly grabbed another one, plain and black, and slid it on. Analyzing the carpet stains, she knew there would be no easy way to scrub it out. That was a chore for later. Sliding through her door and out into the hall, she saw Robin waiting there with his back turned. Sighing in relief, she was able to avoid any questions he could have asked her about the situation. When he turned, he didn’t say anything, only gestured her with him with his head. He looked like he was focusing on something, deep in thought. While he was deep in thought, the horrible series of events before his arrival replayed in her mind. Someone interrupted the link she had made with John, someone with telepathic powers similar to, even stronger than, hers. Whoever he was, he was a jackass. The fact of the matter was, she knew she could make contact with John. Whether her contact with him or the man was the cause of her nosebleed, she didn’t know. She wasn’t willing to find out either, especially in the same night. Robin’s snapping fingers caught her attention.

            “Hello? Earth to Jane? Have you been listening at all?”

            “I’m sorry, what were you saying?” she blinked.

            “It’s okay, I was just blabbering anyway. I asked how your training with your powers has been going. You seem to be more confident in yourself.”

            They rounded the corner and made their way to the elevator.

            “Well, I’m happy with myself, yes. I think I’m fitting in a little better, but I know I can always get stronger. So learning through training is helping a lot.” she explained with a smile.

            “That’s awesome.” he pressed the elevator button to go up.

            When the doors slid open, they walked in. Jane assumed there was no way they were headed to the roof for training, so there must have been somewhere else. Waiting for the doors to slide open again, she kept a mental tab of the man’s voice. Perhaps it would come in handy later.

            “Do you know anything about hand to hand combat?” Robin asked.

            “A little.”

            “Really?” he sounded surprised. “What, did they give you karate lessons at the orphanage or something?”

            “No. However, during recreation outside, which I guess was recess, I practiced on trees. I got in trouble with the counselors for it, but I told them I was venting the urge to use my powers. Half the time, they bought it. John yelled at me too, but he never really understood. In reality, I just…pretended I was punching the people in the orphanage. I hated them, so I wanted to beat the shit out of them.” she shrugged. “But I’m no Jackie Chan, good god no. I can’t even open a bag of chips without hurting myself.”

            He laughed. “That’s my training. If you feel like jumping in, go ahead. But if not, you can work on your powers if you’d like. Carefully.” he glanced at her.

            “Yea, yea.”

            The doors opened to a room full of equipment, similar to an exercise room. There was a treadmill and some weight machines, but there were also dummies in the middle that looked like very crude models of Slade. Stepping out, she looked around and thought of what she could possibly do. Robin got right to it, not waiting for her to get settled or anything. Shrugging, she decided to walk on the treadmill. She needed to decompress a bit, and maybe watching her friend flail at an unmoving dummy while walking would fix that. As Robin punched and kicked at the dummy, she watched his movements and how quick on his feet he was. It must have been a handicap to fight with no powers or abilities, but maybe he thought the same about Jane and the others. The treadmill she was on was next to a window, so while she walked, she had a clear view of the forest and the lake, and of course the moon that was covered by the clouds once again. Humming to herself, she started to jog. Considering she was already wide awake, there was no harm in getting her blood pumping a little bit. Thankfully, her headaches were long gone, so she was content with her running ability.

            “Hey Jane.” she heard Robin pant.

            Turning her head, she kept running. “Yea, what’s up?”

            “I know you said you didn’t have to, but working on a dummy target won’t get me anywhere. Would you mind being my opponent?”

            “You have betrayed me, you’re making me work.” she moaned sarcastically, slowing down the treadmill.

            He clapped his hands together to beg. “Please???????”

            “Yea, whatever. I’m comin’.” she walked to the middle where he was. “Okay, so what do you want me to do?”

            “Be my opponent.” he got into a stance.

            “Right, you said that, but just don’t kick my ass.” she got into a stance as well.

            Gulping, she had to admit to herself that she was a bit nervous. She didn’t want to be the reason that he doesn’t get any better.

            “To be fair, don’t use your powers. It’ll be equal ground that way. Got it?”

            “Roger that.”

            With a loud shout, Robin dashed forward. Jane didn’t move, she only waited for him to make another move. Her hands were sweaty and her heart was beating fast. His foot swooped down, telling her he was going to take her feet out from under her. Jumping, she didn’t take her eye off of his fists. From her fights previously, she learned that that seemed to be a main ploy when fighting. As anticipated, Robin went to punch her in the gut while airborne. She grabbed his arm and pushed him down, landing away from him and backing up. There was no way she was going to be that lucky again. There was some distance between them, so Robin had a fair amount of time to get himself settled. Taking a chance, she ran forward and went to punch him, and as she swung her fist, he did the same thing she had done, only using her arm to jump onto her shoulders and kick her down. Hitting the ground hard, she heard him land behind her. Getting onto all fours, she saw between her legs while she was standing that he was advancing for another attack. When he was in clear range, she shot her leg up, her heel connecting with his chin. Now clocked in jaw, he held it and retreated backward. Jane stood up straight and sighed, cracking her knuckles.

            “Sorry.” she shrugged.

            “For what?” he rubbed his chin.

            “Being bad at this.”

            Chuckling, he advanced again. Jane stepped to the side to avoid his attacks, watching his fists as they attempted to collide with her face. He punched her finally, making her trip and fall as she tried to recover while back pedaling. As he went to kick her, she rolled away. Getting up quickly, she was able to run forward and spin-kick him. It didn’t faze him as much as she wanted it to, but it still worked. Clenching her fists, it was her turn for an all-out offensive. The more she fought, the more she believed in herself. Unleashing a barrage of punches, she found that he was avoiding them with ease, until finally she landed a hit on his nose. While he was distracted about his face, she went in for an uppercut that successfully made contact with his stomach. She heard as he let out a grunt. She felt proud of herself, thinking she was able to fight her teammate on a similar ground. However, his weakness was a ploy. He picked her up and threw her across the room, her landing and rolling to a halt. When she was ready to stand and fight again, she heard Robin start clapping.

            “Huh?” she looked his direction.

            “That was fun!” he was smiling.

            She looked down at her hands, disappointment bubbling to the surface. It wasn’t because of her performance, but the fact it was ending so soon. Hearing him walk over to her, she decided to finally stand. When she saw how he hardly had a scratch, the disappointment of her weakness set in.

            “It looks like I didn’t even touch you.” she sighed, crossing her arms, looking down.

            “Oh, you did. I didn’t expect that kick to the chin, or even the uppercut. You may not realize it, but you’re strong. We just gotta work at it.” he patted her shoulder.

 

**Morning**

After Jane and Robin’s small fight session, she finally had the motive to fall asleep in her bed. Although she knew Robin meant what he said about her strength, in the back of her mind, she didn’t believe it. After several hours of sleep, she awoke and dressed in her usual purple plaid getup. Her blood still stained the carpet and she knew that she needed to get to doing that at some point in the day. If all went well, she could probably do a lot of things. Strolling down the hallway, she had a hair tie around her wrist. She was in a good mood, a working mood, and if things needed to be done, she had the itch to do it. When she walked through the doors, she witnessed the usual sight. The boys were playing their game, Raven was reading, Starfire cheered on Cyborg to win on Rainbow Road, and Terra was looting the fridge.

“Anything decent, Terra?” she asked.

“Starfire ate the last of your muffins, sorry.” Terra replied, head still deep within the fridge. “But I did find some strawberry jello.”

“I’m down with jello.” she turned to Raven. “Hey, do you want jello?”

“No thanks.” Raven didn’t look up from her book. “I’m not in the mood for anything…gelatinous.”

“Oh…okay.”

Terra took out the bowl of jello and placed it on the counter. She must have sensed Jane’s unhappiness because she placed a hand on her forearm.

“It’s fine. She appreciates the offer, she really does.”

Jane scooped the red jelly from its bowl, watching it dance around as she walked with it to the couch. Jello always felt weird to her tongue, and it wasn’t usual for her to eat strange things that tickled her tongue that way. Bananas were the same type of thing, they were too waxy, so she didn’t eat them. Jello seemed fun to her right now, so she sat criss-cross on the couch next to Beast Boy and ate, watching him lose against Cyborg.

“DUDE, DON’T RED SHELL ME!” Beast Boy shouted.

“Sorry man, you’re in the lead and Toad is comin’ up behind!” he turned his Wii Wheel as if he was actually driving a car.

With a smile, she consumed her bowl of strawberry delight, setting the bowl on the table when she was finished. It was probably noon, looking outside to see the sun directly over the water of the lake surrounding them. All of them turned when the doors opened for Robin, who looked more chipper than usual.

“Morning, guys.” he went straight for the fridge.

“It’s 12:30, Robin.” Raven corrected.

“Same difference.” he rolled his eyes.

They all shared a laugh, not realizing that a small icon began to beep on their television. Wiping her eyes from laughing tears, Jane noticed it first. After pointing out the blinking icon on the screen, Cyborg closed his and Beast Boy’s game, giving all the monitor space to the alert.

“What is that?” Robin suddenly grew serious.

“There’s a fire in the west end of the city. It looks small.” Cyborg reported.

Robin’s face twitched, but his unease was hidden quickly. “Let the fire company handle it. If it’s a small fire, there’s no need to get involved.”

Jane stood up from the couch and walked over to the window. If she knew her cardinal directions properly, she might be able to see the west end. Billowing smoke rose from the tops of buildings, making a knot form in her stomach. She heard the monitor beep again and felt a rush of unease into the room, not just radiating from Robin anymore.

“Fire’s spreading from the west end to the east end!” Cyborg shouted.

“How did it reach that far in just seconds?” Terra asked, rising from her seat on the couch.

Knots twisting and raging in her stomach, Jane curled her fists into balls and swallowed a lump in her throat. Everyone had to be thinking the same thing right about now, and if they weren’t, they were tiptoeing around what they knew it was.

“Slade.” Robin growled. “It has to be.”

Turning, Jane made her way back to the television and looked at the map of the fire. The fire’s path, highlighted in orange, was dancing all around the city. Nervous sweat formed on her forehead and she felt the knot in her stomach explode.

“He’s either playing with us or just spelling something out.” she muttered. “See how the line at the east end is starting to curve?” she pointed to the television.

“There’s no time to analyze the alphabet,” Robin ordered. “We need to go!”

Robin was the first out the door, the rest of the Titans following him. Taking one last look at the television screen, she could have sworn that the symbol of the fire created a crude J, but when she blinked and rubbed her eyes, thinking she was insane, the letter transformed into a ludicrous shape of meaninglessness. Using the hair band around her wrist, she tied her hair up into a high ponytail. Pale, she ran out of the room to catch up with her friends. Catching heels with Terra, it was odd to see her friend so tense and afraid. She seemed to be in a trance, her blue eyes wide and her forehead growing moist with sweat. Terra was either very hot, or very afraid. Jane could agree that Slade was a terrifying man, but she couldn’t piece together what had Terra so shaken up.

“Titans, follow Starfire and I. Do not attack until we all land. Understood?” Robin ordered when they came out of the tower.

All nodded, Jane and Terra taking a ride on a large, floating rock. The intensity was higher than their last fight with this man. Perhaps Robin felt more threatened this time, or perhaps Robin was eager with a trick up his sleeve. The smoke rising from the city was thick and black, making Jane cough when they needed to fly right over it. Clamping her eyes shut, she relied on sound and smell to tell her how far into the city they were. Robin wasn’t communicating much, but she could hear Cyborg shouting something about large fires in the streets. Needing to open her eyes, Terra telling her they were in a clear spot, Jane opened them to see a monster of a fire raging in the streets below them. This was more than playing, this was an outright attack. Apocalyptic in nature, the fire ripped down telephone poles and tore apart buildings. No people were in sight, thankfully.

“Robin and Star are landing, so here we go.” Terra interrupted her thoughts.

Jane clenched her fists, looking all around for the delinquent responsible for the attack. When all of them were firmly planted on the ground, they immediately went on the defensive, weapons and powers fully exposed. Jane’s hands were glowing white in preparation for a fight, a fight that will hopefully end in defeat instead of escape.

“Jane, you’re with me!” Cyborg shouted.

She ran over to him and nodded.

“Robin’s a little wiggy right now, so I think it’s best we whip out our combos and surprise the heck out of him.” he stuck his fist out. “Teamwork?”

She pounded his fist. “Teamwork.”

A laugh rang through the smoke drowned air, but none of them could pinpoint where it was coming from. Heads were up and turning every which way trying to figure out where he was. They knew he was there and they knew he had the upper hand.

“Titans, this isn’t a picnic. Teamwork? I should have just destroyed you last time.” his voice rang around them.

Focusing, she listened to where his voice was coming from. If she could somehow get a wavelength into his head, even for a second, she would be able to attack. She mapped the location in her head and searched for a speck of color from his mind. For a split second, there was a flash of white. Movement.

“There!” she spun around and pointed to a tall building that was close to crumbling.

As she shouted, a fireball was thrust from the clouds of smoke and directly into the middle of them. Jumping back from the impact, she at least knew where he was. Robin shouted for the okay, Starfire shooting her lasers at the projectile’s beginning path. There must have been some sort of contact because there was a grunt. Silence was eerie for several moments, until suddenly he exploded from the smoke with fire in his hands. Cyborg shot at him, but Slade was able to dodge in midair, his original path being interrupted. When he landed, he locked eyes with Robin, who was ready to fight.

“Jane.” Cyborg whispered to her.

“What’s up?” she asked, keeping fists clenched.

Beast Boy transformed into a bear and ran after Slade, who was making it look easy to fend off a barrage of punches with a flaming metal staff. Starfire and Raven were doing their best to attack with long range attacks.

“I think it’s time for Mambo Number 5.” he smirked.

Starfire was blown out of the air with a fireball, Terra attempting to keep the enemy locked in place but failing. Robin was growing ever frustrated, screaming at the man while flailing his own metal staff in attempts of hitting him. Slade was a very agile man, back-hand-springing his way out of tough situations and blowing Raven away with fire when she began to piss him off. At this point, Cyborg and Jane hadn’t made their presence known. Finally nodding at Cyborg, she let him pick her up and grab her by the ankles.

“We need a clean shot, Jane. Blow him away!” he shouted.

Cyborg began to spin in place, gripping Jane by her ankles and letting her straighten out. Being whirled around in a circle, she kept her hands pressed to her sides and kept her eyes open, despite the dizziness she was experiencing. Her hands and eyes began to glow, allowing her to keep a tab on Slade while she was repeatedly spun around.

            “ONE,” Cyborg spun a few more times. “TWO,” he spun faster and she clenched her fists. “THREE,” she heard Robin screaming. “FOUR,” she couldn’t swallow the lump in her throat. She needed to concentrate her energy. “FIVE!”

            Cyborg let go of her ankles, launching Jane forward like a bullet. Her eyes were planted firmly on her target, who didn’t seem to have a clue what she was doing, despite the fact he was looking at her. When she was an arm’s length away from Slade, she summoned a barrier and bunched into a ball. She felt herself collide with his body through the barrier, like a cannon ball. The collision sent her brain rattling and her opponent flying. Ricocheting in another direction, her barrier dissipated and she rolled on the ground, until she finally made it to a halt. Coughing and sputtering from the ash and dirt, she wobbly rose to her feet. Turning quickly, she saw Slade rise as well.

            _Heh. Didn’t expect that._ She smirked to herself.

            Cracking her knuckles, she knew she needed to find a way back to the rest of the group. She flew farther and faster than she anticipated, so time was at the essence. Raven picked up a pile of debris and threw it at Slade, giving Jane time to bolt. As she ran, she could feel intense pressure gaining on her. As she looked to her left, she saw it. A fireball was headed right for her. With no time, she crossed her arms in front of her and quickly made a make-shift barrier, but it sent her flying.

            “JANE!” she heard Terra shout from afar.

            “Shit, shit!” she hissed as she needed to stand back up.

            Running awkwardly, she forgot for a moment where she was. She was redirected by Robin’s voice, who seemed to be yelling again. Breathing heavily, she sprinted to the sound of her team. When she was finally in eyesight, she noticed a crumbling building above Raven and Cyborg, who were too busy to notice.

            “CYBORG! RAVEN!” she shouted, hands glowing and thrusting them forward.

            A set of white hands shoved the pair out of the way as the building crumbled, sending smoke and fire into the air and around her face. Coughing and wheezing, she knew it wasn’t good to be separated for so long. Hearing footsteps, she whipped her head to the side to see Slade walking her direction. Surely the Titans were in hot pursuit, but for now, it was once again her and this horrifying man.

            “Funny that we keep running into each other.” he said, hands behind his back.

            Growling, Jane summoned her white hands and tried to restrain him, but as he did before, they erupted into flames and dissipated.

            “You’re panicking.” he shook his head. “You don’t do well when you panic.”

            Starfire flew over the smoke with Terra and they dove in for a sneak attack, but the glint in Jane’s eyes must have given them away. Terra locked Slade in a rock tomb and she did her absolute best to keep him sealed, but he punched a hole through the rock and escaped easily.

            “Pitiful, Terra. I thought I taught you better than that.” he turned and hit her with a swath of fire.

            Terra screamed and was knocked away from the scene.

            “Terra!” Starfire screamed, halting in mid-air.

            Jane ran for Slade, fists clenched, and screamed. Starfire fired lasers at him from her eyes, but he was able to deflect them with his flaming staff. While he was dealing with her, Jane was able to get some air and was able to kick him in the back of the head. He stumbled, allowing Starfire to land a hit as well. Jane smiled and stood firm, slightly backing away from him while he began to stand.

            “Starfire, you continue to annoy me.” he uttered.

            To their surprise, Slade was able to summon fiery hands of his own, grabbing Starfire and throwing her to the ground. Screaming, Jane ran at her opponent in attempt to take him on hand to hand. He was able to deflect her punches, but there was the occasional one that slipped by and struck his chin. Robin had warned her not to engage, but it killed her to watch her friends get beaten up. Through the cracks of her attacks, Slade’s foot managed to sneak through and smash into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Eyes wide, the air being thrust out of her lungs, she flew through the air and landed on her back, blinking when she came to her senses. Slowly, Slade came into her vision. She watched his hand grab for her neck and she felt herself be lifted into the air.

            “You were doing fine until you started caring about your friends.” the words cut her like a jackknife.

            “SLADE!” Robin shouted.

            Jane clawed at the hand gripping her throat. Air wasn’t escaping her lungs, but she was held in quite an uncomfortable position. Her legs flailed about in attempts to be freed from his grip. Slade leapt onto a nearby building, above the Titans so they looked inferior to him. Eyes glowing white, she tried her last maneuver, which seemed to work last time. However, no matter how much she concentrated on giving him pain, power wasn’t able to even trickle from her mind.

            “YOU LET HER GO!” Robin shouted.

            Slade glanced to the squirming Jane in his grasp and seemed to sigh. His grip strengthened and she let out a cry, now feeling the air beginning to escape her throat. Gasping, she kicked and punched him.

            “I see you’re trying something here.” he guessed at her.

            Her eyes dulled to normal again, fearing for her life if she didn’t stop what she was attempting. He weakened his grip a bit to let her breathe.

            Cyborg shot a laser, but Slade merely stepped aside.

            “You fuck…let me go…!” Jane tried to scream.

            His words of response were inaudible, as blackness was beginning to creep in from the corners of her eyes. Her legs slowly stopped flailing and her hands faded their white light.

            “Go to sleep, child.”

            Through the gasping and sudden drowsiness, she felt her eyes close and her mind be buried into unconsciousness.

            

**Slade**

_Good. It’s about time she stopped squirming._

            “JANE!” Beast Boy shouted.

            He transformed into a puma in order to strike, but he stopped when he saw what was in Slade’s hand.

            “What is that?!” Cyborg shouted.

            “This, Titans, is called a syringe.” he responded in a taunting voice, one that got under their skin. “And if I were to inject this serum into the girl’s neck, she’d die. Simple enough to understand, don’t you think?”

            “Why are you doing this?!” Robin stepped forward and shouted.

            “I have my reasons.”

            “Of course you do.” Robin gripped his staff tightly.

            The Titans were like putty in his hand. With their precious friend in harm’s way, there was no way they would risk her life.

            “I find it odd that you Titans let another stranger into your home.” he lifted her up and looked at her. “I figured you had learned after the first time.” He noticed Terra lower her head in his peripheral vision. “What is it about this girl that has you so high and mighty, Robin?”

            “She’s a Titan. More so, she’s our friend.”

            “Ah.” sarcasm left his mouth easily. “I guess I’ll just set her down and leave.” he rolled his eye. “What do you know about your friend, hm?”

            “That’s none of your business!” he shouted.

            “Your precious friend is on the run from the police. She is a wanted criminal now, in her home town. Even better, she killed three doctors in her escapade the other night. But ssshh,” he placed his finger in front of his mask’s mouth slits. “Don’t tell her that part. She doesn’t know.”

            All eyes widened at his statement and heads turned, eyes uneasy and scared. Robin did his best to enthuse them, that he was lying and that he wanted to watch them squirm. In Slade’s point of view, he _did_ want to watch them squirm. Titans bickering, Cyborg fuming, and Terra on the verge of tears, he knew that this was all worth the effort of burning half of the city down.

            “What a shame,” Slade broke their group discussion. “You care more about chit-chat than your friend. I suppose you took your ‘teamwork’ and threw it in the trash.” he backed away, still holding Jane by the neck tightly.

            “WAIT!” Robin finally took initiative and threw his staff forward, using that and his grapple to get to Slade’s height. “YOU LET HER GO!”

            “Until we meet again, Robin.”

            Before Robin saw where he went, he jumped from the building and landed on the ground with a thud. Using the smoke as a barrier, he ran. All of the patience paid off, and so did the training for the girl. Tonight she was better, but nowhere near impressive.

            “So much for ‘having all the facts’, Robin.” he laughed to himself.


	4. You're Not A Criminal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captured. Jane is suspended in chains by Slade in an unknown location, being berated with the fact that the Titans hadn't even attempted to rescue her. Betrayal stings like a poisonous hornet, and she agrees to a specific set of terms. Meanwhile, John allows himself to be guided under the wing of Brother Blood, his best friend being used as a bargaining chip. Both are pawns in similar games, but how will they make their moves?

**H.I.V.E.**

            “What the fuck was that?” he panted.

            “What, you ask?” Blood replied. “It’s called mind control, John. I can pop into heads at any time I want to, yours not being excluded.” he tapped on the bars. “That neat little trick your friend tried was an absolute mistake. Nobody breaks a connection like that with me. What a foolish child…”

            “Where is she?” he asked.

            “Oh, these same questions again.” Blood rolled his eyes. “Can’t you say anything else? No, I have no idea where she is, before you accuse me of anything else.”

            “I was about to consider your offer.” John sat back on the bed and crossed his arms. “It’s a damned good thing I didn’t say anything, because now I know that Jane is out there and alive.”

            “Yes, but, in your own words, where is she?” raising an eyebrow, Blood smiled. “Is she safe and sound or is she being tracked down by the very same facility you two escaped? Besides…she _did_ just use her powers.”

            Eyes widening, John knew Blood was right. Willy nilly, Jane was using her powers. She was able to actually form a connection with his thoughts, and that took some hefty concentration. Looking again at Blood, John realized that his only way of getting to Jane was to follow this man’s crazy instructions. He had already considered other means of escape, but this fruit-loop was smart. Brother Blood had already anticipated what John wanted to do just by looking at him.

            “By the look on your face, I assume that you’ll assist me?”

            Grumpily, John looked at the floor. In his eyes, there was no other alternative.

            “Before I say anything, tell me how you locked Jane inside that connection. She usually would be smart enough to get out of that.”

            “My mind is far superior to hers. I am a man of greater telepathy, and an eighteen year old’s brain is nowhere near developed enough to manage my power. She’s an amateur, a fake.”

            “Where do you think she is?” John phrased his question differently.

            “Where do I think?” he tapped his chin. “Judging by what she was seeing around her, and her thoughts when she bumped into the wall, I’d say Titans Tower.”

            “Wait, what? Titans what? Tower?”

            “I’m not asking anymore questions until you give me an answer, John Noble. Will you assist me in my plans or won’t you?” his finger hovered over a button to free him.

            “Tch. Fine.” John stood up and walked over to the bars to be let out.

            With a smile, Blood opened his cell. “Welcome home.”

            Now free, John walked out into the open, a large hallway with many other doors surrounding him. Honeycomb patterns were spread along the entire space of the wall. Above them, there were very grandiose lighting fixtures, also in hexagon shapes, hanging from the ceiling. There wasn’t much noise, but farther at the end of the hallway, there were murmurs of people. For a split second, a twinge of pain flashed across John’s head.

            _What the fuck was that?_

“Follow me, John.” Blood proceeded down the hallway.

            Without hesitation, John did what he was told. A prodding suspicion poked at him in the back of his mind. Blood led him down the vast hallway, talking at John. John never truly paid attention, considering he didn’t really care.

            “And in here, I have a present for you. I know how much you like presents.”

            Blood opened a door labeled “Lab 3” and led John inside. Pinned up on the wall was a type of suit. A red and white one with spotlights on it.

            “And…what is this for?”

            “My boy, this is what I need you to do for me. Become my pawn and allow me to guide you to victory. I have one target, and one target only. I’m aware that you have no powers, so this suit will grant you a sure gift. You’ll no longer feel weak or less than that girl you call your friend. You’ll become strong. More importantly, you’re doing the world a great service by getting rid of this…nuisance for me.” he placed his hands on John’s shoulders, eyes glowing a light red without his notice. “So…what do you say, John?”

           

**Jane**

In the center of her vision, a dull light filtered its way into her eyes. Trying to lift her head, she found it harder than opening her eyes all the way. When it didn’t hurt to open them more, she found that all around her was dark except for a spotlight shining down on her. Around her, it sounded like large machinery was working in the walls, making her ears ring. When she tried moving her arms, she found that she was unable. Looking up, which sadly had her also look up into the light source, she saw chains and clasps connected to her wrists. As she understood what was happening, she slowly began to panic. She pulled on the chains, which seemed to be raised into the light, unable to see where she was hanging from. Her legs were merely dangling, not being held down by anything, so she was able to kick around whilst raising herself by her wrists in attempts of breaking the clasps. Eyes widening, realizing she was stuck, she tried to use her powers, but as before, something prevented a smidgeon of energy from leaving her body. In the darkness around her lighted area, there came the sound of footsteps.

            “Are you awake, child?” a voice asked.

            Realizing who the voice belonged to, she yanked harder on her chains, sweat beginning to drip down her face. Slade stepped into the light and faced her.

            “If you’re trying to dislocate your wrists, then you’re succeeding.”

            “Where am I?” she asked, voice shaking.

            “Far away from the Titans, if that’s the answer you’re looking for.”

            Swinging herself forward, she tried kicking him in the chest, but he caught her leg and twisted it, causing her to scream.

            “Don’t become belligerent, it will only make things more difficult for you.” he warned, tossing her leg back into suspension.

            Biting her lip in pain, she forced tears away from her eyes. There was no way this man was going to see her cry.

            “As I said before, you don’t do well when you panic.” he began walking circles around her. “You think irrationally, you behave irrationally…in fact, you just behave like a child. You don’t think much at all, do you?”

            Twisting her head around to look at him, she felt her sweat seep into her hair. There was no longer any way to hide her stress from him, she was folding like a bad lawn chair.

            “You have no business keeping me here!” she shouted, again trying to kick him.

            Catching her leg once more, he gripped her calf tightly. “You don’t learn very quickly either, do you?” he twisted it even harder and faster this time, making her scream again. “WHEN YOU BEHAVE IRRATIONALLY, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS! STOP SCREAMING!”

            Forcing her mouth closed, she did as she was told. Her leg was let alone to suspend once again as he made his way around to face her. Grabbing her jaw, he forced her to look at him.

            “You’ll learn eventually, I suppose.”

            Growling, she whipped her head away. “When everyone comes to rescue me, you’re gonna be in deep shit, let me tell you…”

            “Why would they come to rescue you when they watched me take you from them?”

            Her eyes widened, but soon they narrowed when she realized that he had to be lying.

            “They would never just stand by and have me be taken away by someone like you. They’re coming for me.” when she heard him chuckle, she yanked on her chains and shouted. “THEY’RE COMING TO SAVE ME!”

            “Scream at me all you want,” stepping back, he continued to look at her face. “And boast about your friends coming for you, if it helps you feel better. The fact of the matter is, I know you’re not going to be rescued.”

            “You’re lying!”

            “What has you so sure?” he slowly paced around her again. “Because they said ‘friends forever’? Because you reveled in the idea of teamwork? Because they promised they’d never leave you behind? My dear, you’ve known these Titans for how long? A week and a half? Tell me that you’re not that trusting of people.”

            Not answering, she merely looked down at her dangling feet. They promised. They all promised that she was part of the team.

            “But then again, where you come from, you’ll take closeness wherever you can find it.”

            Her heart skipped a beat, eyes widening.

            “What sort of promise does that team hold for you? Sure, they helped you bring out your powers, but they haven’t been strengthened.”

            “The promise they hold for me is the fact they gave me a home! They offered to help me when I needed it! A roof was put over my head, they were accepting of who I was, why I was running, why I was afraid!”

            “It didn’t seem that way to me, if I can recall correctly.” his voice was very ‘a matter of factly’.

            Feeling the need to dignify him with a response, she allowed her head to turn, mouth agape. He had stopped walking, seeming to be waiting for an answer out of her.

            “What are you talking about?”

            Knowing he had been given the correct response, he walked again, keeping his eye on her.

            “Those Titans are very quick to judge when supplied with specific information. Once I told all of them why you were running that night, they cared more about idle chit-chat than saving your life. Granted, I was holding a ‘fatal syringe’ to your neck,” he used air quotes. “But I’ve seen them act despite of that before. It was only when I began retreating that Robin acted on his nerve. The others…stayed in one spot. It’s been sixteen hours since then.”

            She wasn’t entirely shocked when he told her sixteen hours. The pain in her throat told her that he possessed quite the choke-hold, and her body had been sleep deprived in the past few days. Sleep was a luxury at this point, so secretly, she didn’t mind it where she could get it.

            “Your lack of response is surprising.” facing her once more, he folded his arms in front of his chest. “You believe me.”

            “You don’t have much proof besides your word of mouth.” her head was lowered, but she spoke confidently. “I’m not that trusting of people.”

            Face twitching under his mask, he didn’t say anything about his words being used against him. He merely chuckled.

            “What’s so funny?”

            “That sudden confidence in your voice, even though your head lowered when I told you how your friends abandoned you. Sixteen hours and there’s no sign of them anywhere.”

            Frowning, she lowered it more. Separate parts of her mind were battling with each other.

            “They used you. You were just another number. You can be swept under the rug easily, and they know that.”

            “I get it, man.” her voice shook. “I get it…”

            “Oh, I’m ‘man’ now? What did you call me earlier…a fuck?”

            “I’m still finding it hard to believe you…why would they go through the trouble of training me and letting me in if they didn’t care?”

            “They’re heroes. It makes them look good.”

            Feeling tears brim at her eyelids, she still wasn’t sure what to think. It had been sixteen hours, according to him. Were they making a tactical plan to come and rescue her? That was a sure enough possibility. There was no way they would just allow this man to take her away.

            “Well, what are you going to do with me now? Kill me or something? I’m here, I’m chained up, I can’t use my powers…what, are you gonna sell me?” she tilted her head back and stared at the spotlight.

            “Are you thirsty?”

            Blinking, she let her head tilt forward to look at him in confusion. “Am I _thirsty_?”

            Slinking into the darkness again, Slade seemed to be fiddling with some sort of glassware. Clinking echoed into the spotlight which made Jane even more confused.

            “Thirsty.” she rolled her eyes and let out a laugh. “I’m chained up and hurt and I’m asked about hydration. What’s next, huh?” she shouted at the darkness. “You gonna offer me a steak or something? I’ll take that! But NAH, am I THIRSTY?”

            “Don’t be rude.” his voice emanated from the darkness.

            _Don’t be rude, he says. You fuckin’ take me hostage and chain me up, twist my legs all over the place, shout at me… Yea, that ain’t rude._

            Suddenly, her spotlight turned off and the darkness around her transformed into light. Around her were television screens and gears twisting and mashing. And lone behold, there was Slade, sitting a fair distance away from her in a chair, teacup in his hand.

            _How is he going to drink that?_

            “You asked what I thought about doing with you. You gave me some clever ideas, but I’m not a murderer or a marketer. That would be inhumane of me. No, child, I have other plans for you…if you would like to hear my proposition, that is.”

            “I have nothing better to do.” her eyes narrowed.

            “Splendid.” he set the cup on a small platter resting on the arm of his chair.

            _I’m really curious, how the hell is he going to drink that?_

“I would like you to pay close attention, Jane.”

            Nodding, she was surprised that he used her name.

            “Your powers are surely a marvel to behold. However, you are a mere amateur, immaturity at its finest. I would like to lend you my knowledge, lend you my strength. I can offer you more than those Titans ever could. However, I am a man of many aspirations. I am in need of an apprentice. Your powers would be useful to me, if you would agree to stand by my side and serve me. I repeat, you would not be left out of an opportunity for yourself…I know how selfish we can all be. If you do accept my offer, I can train you to master the abilities you’ve been given. No longer will you need to hide in the shadows and conceal them. If you accept my offer, you will stand by me and obey me as your master.”

            “Why are you in need of an apprentice? You seem to do just fine on your own.”

            “Flattery is appreciated, you have my thanks.” he gestured with his hand and nodded. “However, my plans are indecisive and are based on your choice. I’m not forcing you, I’m merely giving you an offer you can’t refuse.” seeming to think, he sat forward. “On another note, I wish to pass on what I know to a worthy pupil. You, my dear, are worthy.”

            Swallowing, Jane relaxed and absorbed the words he had finished saying to her. The gears, like a clock, pounded in tune with her brain.

            _He says that he can make me stronger. I can be useful to somebody without having to be a burden on them. If I join Slade, I can master my powers. At least…_ She looked up at him. _…that’s what he said… The Titans rescued me from the police, they gave me a roof under my head, they fed me, and they made me feel good about myself._ They both seemed to be looking at each other, he waiting for her response. _When I was with the Titans…they told me they would keep me safe. They said they could protect me from what I was running from._ She looked down again, brows furrowed. _All of those nights keeping secrets from them…no…I couldn’t really trust them, could I? I thought I didn’t want them to worry, but now, when I think about it…I couldn’t trust them. Raven right-off told the rest of the team I was able to harness my powers when I didn’t want to. Robin pushed and pushed until I said yes to the training. Sure, I appreciate it now, but at the time how did I feel? Cyborg and Beast Boy didn’t push, I thought they were my friends. Where are they then? And Terra. Why did she constantly flinch when I cracked my neck? Why does she constantly look afraid when there’s the smallest sign of this man?_ Her head shot up to look at him again, realizing something. _How many secrets has she hidden from me? What the hell did they mean when they said “the past can’t repeat itself”?_ He apparently had just taken a sip from his tea, setting it back down on the platter. _I could ask him. He might know._

“I have a question.”

            “I most likely have your answer.”

            “Back in the city, what did you mean when you said to Terra ‘I thought I taught you better’?”

            Chuckling, he gave her a response. “Terra was an apprentice of mine once. I assume she never revealed that kind of information?”

            _That’s what I thought. Terra wasn’t truthful to me at all, and neither was anybody else. What were Raven and the others talking about with the ring thing? Even more relevant, Robin was taken as well, I assume? That’s what Cyborg said. And Beast Boy even said something about Robin seeing Slade…but it was all in his head._ Jane squinted at him, which made him squint back. _They haven’t told me anything. They claim to be my friends, but they’ve been hiding behind curtains this entire time. I let them know up front who I was and that I was afraid. I let them see my vulnerability…and this is what I receive in return. So now what do I do? I suppose I’m back to square one…do I accept Slade’s offer or don’t I? The friends I thought I made aren’t coming. Here I am, sixteen or so hours later, and there’s no trace of rescue anywhere. He’s basically…offering me guidance. My powers will grow and I’ll be able to believe in myself without having to worry about getting in somebody’s way. I can use my powers without fear of being seen or detoxed because of them. Maybe he can show me how to fight with a purpose. I don’t want to return to the orphanage, where I’ll be poked and prodded and injected with things. Even more…I don’t…want to return to Titans Tower…if they don’t want me there in the first place…_ With her last thought, she grinded her teeth. _I knew I was a burden to them. Sure, they let me stay without hesitation…but I knew I was intruding. I won’t be a burden here. I’m being offered a position at his side. He’s asking me to serve under him. But wait, that’s another word…serve…_ Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. _I at least will have a purpose. That’s all I want. And besides…he said I was worthy…_

As she opened her eyes and lifted her head, there was a feeling of peace in her war-waged brain. Slade was contently reaching for his cup of tea, the patience beginning to wear away the longer he waited.

            “I’ll do it.” she told him.

            He paused his teacup in mid-lift. “What did you say?”

            “I said I’ll do it. I’ll become your apprentice.”

            “I’m honestly quite surprised.” setting his cup back down, he stood from his chair. “When I presented you with my offer, I expected a larger rebuttal.”

            Walking over to her, he took a glance at her chains.

            “Did I do something wrong?”

            “Quite the contrary.” lowering her so her feet almost touched the ground, he undid her chains and allowed her to land on the floor.

            When she landed, legs wobbly at first, she needed to stretch her arms and rub her wrists. Being chained and dangling from a ceiling for sixteen hours was taxing on the bones. This was a good time to thank her healing abilities.

            “Now then,” he interrupted her thoughts. “Allow me to explain your role when serving by my side.”

            With a gesture from his head, he asked her to follow him. Jane followed, still rubbing her wrists. He guided her to a large television screen, at least that’s what it resembled, and he turned it on. After a flickering of the screen, they were presented with an image of Titans Tower, stars still out and moon beginning to set. It must have been five in the morning.

            “What do you feel when you look at this place?” he asked.

            Soaking in the image, she felt her heart sink. “Disappointment.”

            “In yourself or them?”

            “Both.”

            “Why are you disappointed in yourself?”

            “I wasn’t strong enough. And now they abandoned me. I was a burden to them, they didn’t want me there in the first place.”

            “Would you eliminate them if your powers were enhanced?”

            _What a loaded question._ “If I were stronger…” her eyes lost their light, darkness flooding into them. “If I were stronger…I can hurt them like they hurt me.”

            Slade didn’t give her a response, he merely stood there with his arms behind his back, thinking. In her mind, she felt a wave of energy settle into the crevices of her brain. Closing her eyes, she thought about hurting them. Terra, instinctively, was the first she thought of destroying. Perhaps it was because of her stunt in training, or perhaps it was the fact she refused to share her vulnerabilities like Jane had to her. Whatever it was, it made her blood boil. Once again her thoughts were interrupted by the clearing of his throat.

            “Would you be willing to annihilate them on my command?”

            “Is that your overall goal?” her eyebrow rose.

            “Answer my question.”

            “Yes.”

            “Good.” he changed the screen to divide into six, each one of them picturing a different Titan. “My targets are your targets now.”

            Looking closely at her friends, she felt numb. Whether or not his intentions meant death made the hair on the back of her neck rise.

            “From this day forward,” he watched her walk forward to look up at the screens. “Will you serve me and me only?”

            Dangerous images traveled through her thoughts. “I will.”

            “Will you obey my every command?”

            “Yes.” her fists clenched.

            “Will you fight by my side forever?”

            _Forever?_ Her eye twitched. _Fighting by his side forever? I can do it._ A smile crept across her face as she looked down at her hands. _I can definitely do it._

            “I will.” she answered.

            “Perfect, Jane.” stepping forward, he turned the monitors off. “Or, shall I say, apprentice?”

            Her hair stood on end, goosebumps forming on her arms. She felt strange, hearing those words used. However, it enthralled her that she had just sworn to be of use to somebody else.

            “I apologize for the seemingly needless questioning.” he guided her away from the screens. “But I need to make sure you are as worthy as I anticipate. I am satisfied with your cooperation.”

            “I hope so as well…” looking down at her feet, there was doubt in her voice.

            “There is no need for that disappointment, child. If you do follow me as you just swore to, there will be no need to feel negative.”

            “Thank you sir.”

            He chuckled. “My dear, I’d like you to call me ‘master’.”

           

After their conversation, Slade guided her to a section of his lair that was filled with coolers of chemicals and syringes, as well as shelves and containers of seemingly harmful…things. With the flick of a switch, a spotlight turned on, guiding her eyes to a suit that looked similar to what her master was wearing. It was a similar jumpsuit-like material with the same armor pieces, one resting on the shoulders and plates going on the arms and legs. The torso was divided into a bronze color and black, equally sectioned down the middle with an S insignia on the chest. The leg portion was just plain black. She would also receive a matching belt with pouches on the sides. What she would use inside of them was ‘completely up to her’. While she gazed at her new uniform, she was saddened slightly by the fact she couldn’t wear plaid anymore, but that was a small consequence.

“When you’re done getting changed into this, come and find me. That is when your training will begin.” nodding, he left her alone.

She snagged the jumpsuit off of the wall first, staring at the insignia she would soon be wearing on her chest. With a deep breath, she got undressed and slid the uniform on, it being surprisingly comfortable and fitting to her size. She tried not to think about how this suit was able to fit her so well. Grabbing the belt next, she clicked it shut and peeked inside of the small pouches. They were empty now, but she had plenty of time to figure out what she wanted inside of them. The armor pieces were easy to snap on, although they were definitely heavier than she thought they would be. On the floor at her feet was a pair of boots, again similar to his. Metal plated and black, they were again eerily fitting to her shoe size.

“Jesus Christ, there’s no way he guessed that I had size 13 feet. This is ridiculous…” she mumbled to herself as she poked and knocked on the metal plates. “I shouldn’t care about that, but I do.”

Taking a look at her reflection in one of the cooler doors, she felt the anxiety and stress from earlier subside. If she didn’t believe this was real before, it was now branded onto her clothing. Exhaling from her nose, she closed her eyes and focused on the surge of power she felt earlier. To her delight, it was indeed the glow of her powers returning to her. Familiar warmth returned to her hands as she recognized the power begin to flow through her once again. Something cracked loudly and she gasped. When she opened her eyes, she saw her reflection spider-webbed across the cooler door.

“Shit!” she whispered.

Hoping he hadn’t heard that, she gathered and folded her other clothes and set them on the floor in front of her uniform’s place. Looking around more just to make sure he wasn’t going to pop up anywhere, she exited the room and made her way back to the larger one. All of the monitors were off and the lights had remained dimmed. There was no sign of him anywhere.

“Hello?” she called out.

As she walked around, looking for him as she was told, there was a sense of uneasiness making her heart beat faster. She clenched and unclenched her fists, anticipating something to jump out at her. Nervous laughter escaped her mouth when she realized that he was hiding for a reason. After all, he did say this was where the training would begin. Already, her ears had grown used to the gears grinding away on the walls.

“A bit unmanaged, are we?” his voice came from somewhere.

Jumping in fright, his voice echoing unexpectedly, she knew what he was talking about. Her fists clenched and unclenched as she grew more and more anxious.

“I’ve merely just made you my apprentice and you’re already breaking things.” he sounded irritated.

_Don’t fumble around like an idiot. Just do what you did last time…that must be what he wants you to do, right?_

Closing her eyes, she tried to place her full focus on other movement around her. Once again, she was searching for a white flare that signified where he was hiding. In her mind, she imagined herself standing in the center of her current space, the room mapping itself out as she listened closely. There it was, a white flare. Standing tall, no longer afraid of a jump scare, she faced the direction of the flare. Looking up into the wall, there he was, standing on a gear as it stayed still. As she thought, he didn’t look happy. Without warning, he leapt from his perch, metal staff in his hands. Startled, she jumped away as he slashed downward, the staff hitting the floor. He continued attacking her, she being forced to use make-shift barriers that dissolved on impact.

“You need to learn to harness that emotion!” his staff made contact with her stomach, sending her flying to roll to a stop. “What caused you to crack that glass? Don’t use it for accidents like that, use it effectively!”

She stood up in time to block his next attack with her arms.

_Don’t panic. Just don’t panic. This is what he’s waiting for, he’s waiting for you to panic again! Get smart! Come on, dammit!_

Hands turning white, she sent a pulse through his staff that made him react and jump backward. From this, she was able to create an equal distance between them.

“Good.” he squinted.

He ran at her in hopes of striking her in the head, but Jane was able to read it quickly enough and jump out of the way. Ducking from another attack, she spun on her hands and extended her leg for a swift kick to his chin. As he stumbled backward, she slammed her hands onto the floor and summoned hands to reach from the floor and grab him. However, he foresaw the hands escaping from the ground and was able to back-hand-spring out of their path.

“Shit!” she stood up, retracting the hands.

“Good technique.” he cracked his neck. “However, your powers are still sloppy.”

_Can I do anything else? What can I do? He’s expecting the hands at this point and it’s obvious my barriers can’t do much else._

A risky plan coming to mind, she ran at him with her fists clenched. Hand to hand would work until she could find an opening. Her punches were dodged easily, but she was equally able to dodge his. Blocking one punch, she went for a punch to the chest.

“Too slow!” he shouted, clocking her in the jaw.

Falling onto her stomach inches away, she felt his foot kick her, rolling her onto her back. Events from an earlier battle came flooding back as his foot pressed into her chest. Eyes glowing a bright white, she screamed and gripped his leg tightly. She envisioned herself flying into his body in attempts of throwing him off. His eye widened as if he was caught off guard. Before she was able to get the perfect connection, her eyes grew blazing hot. She was forced to return to herself before acquiring full possession. The cause was unknown, but the cause of her now bloody mouth was due to being kicked in the mouth.

“You’re not ready to use that.” he growled, forcing her up by her ponytail.

Grabbing his wrist, she squeezed her eyes shut in pain. There was still a burning sensation coursing through her, as well as a new sensation of panic.

“Are you going to allow your panic to slow you down?”

She tried for a kick to the chest. As she thought, he grabbed her leg. Smiling, white hands exploded from the floor and grabbed his legs, forcing him to fall and let her ponytail go. Hearing his growling, she knew sooner than later he would break free. Blinking her eyes open slowly, she saw his staff a little while away from her. Trying to crawl, she realized he still had a grip on her calf, holding her back. As she kicked her other leg in attempts of striking his face, she knew it was nearly impossible. The hands were beginning to fade and she didn’t have much time left. Clawing her way forward, she did her best to keep the hands in-tact. Finally gripping the staff, the hands dissipated and he sprung up, letting go of her leg for a split second. In that second, she swung it around to hit him, but he was suddenly gone. Confusion gripped her and she stood, looking around the room like a deer in the headlights. Impact from his knee on the back of her neck sent her down to the floor, face down and defeated.

“You need to remember that you’re alone when fighting me. Your old tricks won’t work. Unless you can learn new methods, you don’t stand a chance against them, let alone me. Do you understand, apprentice?” he pressed his foot into her back.

“Yes master.” her voice was muffled by the floor.

“We’ll work on it. It appears you favor that kick of yours.” he rubbed his chin.

Taking his foot off of her, he allowed her to stand. It was once again clear that there was more damage done to her than her opponent. After a sharp glance at her, he turned away, walking, so he could return to his thoughts. Without hesitation, Jane spoke what was on her own mind.

"Robin fights like you do."

Without stopping, he chuckled. "Does he now?"

Walking quickly so she could catch up with him, she nodded. "Yes. Or..." she tilted her head. "He just tries to."

"Explain."

"Well, I don't know how to phrase it. You're cleaner, more decisive. No hesitation in the mind or body, you know your shit." realizing he didn't answer, she swallowed nervously. "Er...pardon my french?"

"None taken." he didn't even pose a glance at her.

"I understand if you're disappointed in me."

"You're just giving me more to work with. Your training is vital, your powers are..." looking at her, he squinted. "...individualized."

"I understand..."

_I think._

Turning suddenly, he walked down a corridor to another room, a glass window surrounding the expanse. Needing to quickly adjust to his walking pattern again, she looked at what she was given here. Inside were six robots, robots that had a more monstrous figure, but looked like her master. There was enough space for mock fighting, but it was in a more confined space. There were cameras in the room, on all angles, as if to relay information back about her progress. It gave her the same feeling as an interrogation room. The wave of casual conversation dropped like a dead weight, Slade immediately typing on a keypad.

"You will gain experience in this chamber when you aren't busy. These droids will help your fighting techniques, as well as supply you with the niche of fighting a team. Enhance your technique until I decide to have another match with you. When I notice progress, you'll know."

Gulping, she nodded.

"Lose your dependence on that kick. Gain knowledge. The next time I see you panic, there will be consequences. Do you understand, apprentice?"

"Yes, master."

Afraid of what those 'consequences' would be a bead of sweat dripped down her face.

"It seems that healing ability of yours has kicked in." he pointed out before turning to walk away. "Good as new, I suppose."

"May I ask where you're going?"

"I'm going to run a few errands. Don't break anything."

With that, he left her alone with a giant room, a keypad, some robots, and various tools to her disposal. Clenching her fists, she thought about what she was doing.

"Okay...deep breaths..." she exhaled, "Now let's fuck up some robots."


	5. The Power Flood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If I see you panic again, there will be consequences." Jane focuses on maintaining mental stability in a fight, eager to build her endurance and strength. The more she uncovers about her own powers, the more unpleasant memories flood back to her in her nightmares. Slade knows something about her past, and she's determined to get him to talk.

**John**

"Blood."

He wasn't paying much attention, mostly just reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. John, rubbing his temples, was beginning to grow more agitated by the second.

"Blood." he asked a little louder.

"Yes, boy? What is it this time?" he glanced up from his newspaper.

"This suit..." he pulled at the form-fitting suit, the meshy metal making him look like a robot. "It's giving me a headache."

"That's a good sign. It means it's granting you your powers. You should be happy."

"Happy? I agreed to join you and you STILL have me locked in a cell." he pointed out grumpily.

"Don't think of it as a cell, think of it as a very secure bedroom." rolling up his news, he tucked it under his left arm. "Look, you even have a computer!"

Looking to the desk Blood had installed for him, complete with a high-quality laptop, he sat in the chair and stared at the screen.

"Now then my boy, what do you think that computer is for?" he took a sip of his coffee.

"Watching porn."

Choking on his coffee from John's response, the steaming liquid proceeded to gush from his nose as well as clogging his windpipe. John laughed and pointed at Blood as he dropped his paper and coffee splashed from the mug. When Blood could breathe again, a vein nearly popped from the skin on his forehead.

"NO!"

John, not particularly afraid, was silenced anyway.

"It is for research, evaluation, _statistical information!_ Everything you want and need to know is online, on the news, in pictures and videos! Not for degenerate activities like...that!" growling, he picked up the newspaper and threw it between the bars of John's cell. "Like this, you brat!"

John read the article aloud. "Fire Ravages the City, Injuring Hundreds."

"Keep reading and tell me what you find." Blood wiped his nose.

It was an article about a fire. That was what it seemed to be on the surface, but as he looked at the picture of the fire, there was one figure in particular that stood out. A man on the roof of a building, flames streaming from his hands.

"This is the guy you told me about, right?"

"Yes. What else can you find in there?"

As he read, the name "Titans" cropped up thrice, the third mentioning the works of their seventh member aiding the team. The article was from several days ago, so that meant that it was Jane they were referring to. Blood had told him who the Titans were, and it seemed only natural that she would be in a band of super heroes.

"You found it." Blood smiled, eyes flashing red.

"Jane is with these Titans." John smiled, it quickly vanishing.

"Exacta." Blood tapped on the bars. "How's that headache of yours doing?"

"It melted away." John looked up. "Is that good?"

"Oh, it's very good. I think it's time to come out and play."

Blood released his pupil, allowing him to walk outside of the bars once again. They walked down the hallway, this time to a different destination. Students were entering a large room, almost like a lecture hall, where the ceiling was high and was lit with a beehive-esque chandelier. At the door, there was a panel to be stood on. Blood stepped forward onto it, and immediately rose into the air. One surfacing to replace the one currently in use, John assumed he needed to step onto it.

"Rise, my pupil. Fly with me." Blood ordered.

Stepping onto it, John thought about the platform rising. It didn't work at first, but to his surprise, it darted upward when he focused hard enough. A smile spread across his face, a new form of jubilation flowing through him.

"Oh my god..." he was able to control where he wanted the panel to take him, like surfing on a wave of energy. He was balanced, capable, and flying.

"Students of the H.I.V.E.," Blood started, he rising high above the crowd of people below him. "I would like to introduce you to a new member to our student body, John Noble."

John, hovering to Blood's height, felt awkward being stared at by hundreds of students. By what he could see, they all varied in appearance. Some were mammoth sized, some had multi-colored hair, and others seemed to lack powers, using their own tech.

"He is not the average pupil, my friends." eyes glowing redder, he continued to speak. "Help him in celebrating his potential! Give him a fighting force! Make him strong!"

As the crowd cheered, John felt energy surging through his body. He looked down on them, watching them and their excitement. Laughter bubbling in his chest, he couldn't stop himself from being so excited. Looking down at himself, he came to the realization.

"I have powers now..." he clenched his fists, flying all around the room on his panel. "I HAVE POWERS NOW!" laughter from his mouth filled the air as Blood remained to hover in place, watching.

"Good..." his eyes continued their glow. "Good."

 

**Jane**

            Huffing and puffing, these bots finally had her on her hands and knees. She had the scratches and cuts to prove it, their metal claws digging into her shoulders as two of them were keeping her down. Sweat dripping from her face, she knew she had failed. Six against one was forming to be a nightmare. Pounding her hands on the ground in frustration, she only felt disgust towards herself.

_"If I see you panic again, there will be consequences."_

_"Gain knowledge."_

Shouting, she dropped to her stomach and swung her legs out, forcing her legs under the droids and having them fall. Using the allotted time she just granted herself, she got back to her feet and jogged backwards, assessing the enemies in front of her. The cuts in her shoulders had healed and she felt it.

"What do I have to do here?" she talked to herself.

The bots were classic AI. They mimicked some form of Slade's fighting style, but they resembled cavemen. Violent and unpredictable, they were also quick. As one knocked her down, she was barraged with claws on her back. Frustration flowed through her veins as all she could think of was destroying them.

Claws.

Claws.

Claws.

It hurt. It hurt a lot. Eyes squeezed shut, she could feel herself become weaker and weaker.

_This was a bad idea. I'm not useful, I'm an idiot._

"GOD DAMMIT!"

A radiant white light exploded from her body, knocking back all of the bots and sending them flying. Eyes glowing, she formed a white circle around each enemy, hands rising up and holding them down. As they struggled, she healed herself, eyes closed, tired. When she opened them, she was met with what she had just done. While she was lost in herself, healing or otherwise, the bots had become dismantled, broken apart, machinery cluttered all around the room. Horrified, she stepped back.

"Oh no..."

As she walked backward, her destination was the door. However, when she thought she had reached it, she bumped into something. Swiftly, she turned to see her master in the doorframe, staring at her handywork.

"I know you told me not to break anything while you were gone..." her voice shook. "I'm sorry, I just didn't--"

Looking down with his eye, he didn't give her a response. He walked forward and inspected the carnage, the blood splatters, and the smoke rising from the bots' engines.

"I know you're angry, I'm sorry." she tried to straighten herself up.

"Angry? Quite the contrary, apprentice." he kneeled down to look at the damage.

"Really?" her eyes lit up, voice no longer small.

"What I saw at the end was what I wanted to see. You harnessed that negative emotion."

Hands no longer shaky, wounds healed, and confidence boosted, she smiled, However, when her master turned to face her, she felt a type of disappointment come over her once again.

"You still have a long way to go." he walked past her.

She listened to him walk away from her with her head lowered. Having been given a back-handed compliment, she sighed. Before she could wallow in her own self-pity, her stomach growled. His footsteps stopped, making her feel embarrassed.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Holding her stomach, she turned around and apologized.

"Stop apologizing. I was beginning to feel pekish as well. We can discuss plans over a meal." he walked away.

Blinking, she sighed in relief.

"So villains get hungry too...that's good." she followed his path.

As she walked through the inside of what she assumed, at this point, was his lair, she found herself to be a bit more comfortable with this man. Of course, she still felt fear if she didn't know what he was thinking, which was a majority of the time, but having the smallest tone of light conversation felt nice. There was clanking coming from a room, which she figured was where he was. Turning left from the hallway, she was met with a counter, a table, and some chairs. That, at least, was all that was exposed to the light. The rest was shrouded in darkness. She entered slowly, somewhat afraid because she couldn't see her master.

"Sit." he said from somewhere.

Sitting at one end of the table, she waited patiently for whatever was going to be brought to her. This...was weird.

"You enjoy your lair dark, don't you?" she asked.

Not receiving an answer, she looked down at her hands. They were stable and dark, no light emanated from anywhere. She was comfortable, for the most part. The only thing wrong was that even though she wasn't in combat, she still felt sweaty.

"I've noticed that your healing element doesn't just activate when you need it to." he stepped out of the darkness with two bowls. "It's activated all the time. That's how you heal so quickly, it's constantly looking for something to fix, something to protect."

_Is that rice?_

"Why is it constantly activated?"

"I uh..."

"You have no idea how to turn it off."

"I didn't know it was something that had to be turned off." she admitted.

"Turning it off means more of your power will be able to be funneled out when you need it."

At this point, he had placed the bowls on the table, also sitting down at the other end of the table. Focused on her, he had his hands folded in front of his face.

"If I turn it off, won't that mean I'm more susceptible to danger?"

"Only if you're afraid."

She nodded.

_Now I just need to figure out how to turn it off. Activating it at will is all part of control, right? I'm not stupid, I can figure it out. I know I can._

The mere thought of turning it off seemed to flip a switch. It was a subtle difference, but suddenly she felt more energized and less sweaty.

"Now then, wasn't that easy?"

"Yes." she smiled.

"Eat. Your power takes up energy, and I know you haven't eaten in a while."

Looking at it, she picked up a fork that was laid out.

"It's poisoned." he said.

Looking up in horror, she saw his emotionless expression.

"That was a joke."

"Oh..." she forced a smile.

Paying more attention to her food than the man in front of her, she thought about herself. Was she having doubts about any of this? She wasn't exactly sure. Inside her there was a bubble growing, one that caused butterflies to flock in her stomach. Unlocking secrets about her powers was incredible. It made her feel alive and like a human. Through her fork-fulls of rice she occasionally looked up to see Slade's bowl a little emptier.

_I should really just give up on learning how he eats. There's no point, I'm never going to find out._

"In a mere few hours, you've learned quite a bit. Has your resolve wavered?"

"My resolve?" she swallowed, "To destroy the Titans? No. I'm just having a hard time keeping my confidence up." stirring her rice around with her fork, she didn't think now was a good time to keep her thoughts under discretion. "You seem to know a lot about my powers and how I can bring them out. I trust that you will, well, hold up what you say and make me stronger. I just want to feel reliable, I don't want to feel like an idiot or...trash."

"You're far from 'trash'." he used air quotes. "And quite frankly, the only thing holding you back is that very lack of confidence. In our fight earlier, you were ridden with hesitation. What were you afraid of?"

"You kicking my ass for breaking that glass." she bit into another fork of rice.

"And?"

Swallowing, her expression sank. "Not showing to be good enough."

Without another word from him, which seemed to symbolize the word 'exactly', she looked down at her bowl and continued to eat what was left of her rice.

"When I'm ready to fight them, what's the plan? Do I make a surprise appearance as your apprentice or will we be sly about it?"

It took him a moment to think about it.

"I just want to know what I should focus on. If it's my confidence, get me more bots. If it's strategy, teach me your best. If it's how to shut off that faucet of power, lock me in a room with bots and claws. If it's any power in particular, anything at all, let me fight you again."

"It will take time." he focused on her.

"I understand that." she clenched her fork. "I want to be ready to use that power."

He seemed to waver for a moment, knowing what she meant.

"I know I can possess someone like Beast Boy, a little bit..." she swallowed. "I possessed Cinderblock. I got that pain to go through your leg. I remember doing that, but I don't know how. I want to learn, I want to fight, I don't want to be on the sidelines anymore."

Unexpectedly, he stood up from the table, his bowl now empty.

"As of right now, that ability is out of the question. Work a little harder and train." he walked away, farther into the darkness. "And then we'll talk."

When she couldn't hear his footsteps any more, she looked down at her bowl, not quite empty, and sighed.

 

_"I want to ask you a question." she asked._

There were twelve bots this time, upping the amount of claws she could endure at once. It's been two days since she last left the chamber, and keeping her eyes open has been a struggle.

_"I most likely have an answer." he replied, placing a new sheet of glass to replace the spider-webbed accident._

All she could think of was strategy. She had trained lightly against the Titans before, so she only knew their powers to an extent. When fighting with them as a team member, she didn't completely let their full power sink in. Taking a few punches from the bots helped her remember her one fight against Robin in the training room.

_"Why did Terra fail?"_

Scratches remained and cuts didn't heal, and she was doing so for a reason. The hands she produced were more stable, stronger, and able to be called out with much more ease. Barriers, a power she needed in team combat, were stabler as well. They didn't break as easily and she was able to dissipate and manipulate them at will. However, there were still plenty of holes in her physical fighting strategies. Every time she used a move other than her 'chin kick' to disarm a bot, there seemed to be an obvious opening.

_After a moment of thought, he raised his chin to look upward, hands going behind his back. He seemed to be recollecting something dark, for his expression wasn't very kind._

_"Terra failed because she lacked control. She behaved like a child. Obedience wasn't her strong suit, and neither was her ability to act."_

_"What can I do to not become a failure like her?"_

_As if he were surprised, he gave her a 'hm', later replying with, "Gain control. And, whatever you do, do not disobey me." He looked at her darkly. "The moment you do, apprentice, you will become exactly. Like. Her."_

_Gulping, she nodded._

With a shout, she grabbed a bot by the arm and spun it in circles, knocking other bots out of the way. Her goal this session was to see how long she could go without using her healing element. One of the bots was broken, two others had sparks coming from their arms, and the rest were still up and about. Keeping light on her toes, she got more aggressive, beginning to go in for heavier combat. The one bot she fought was quick with arm jabs, another moving with faster kicks. It seemed they were getting smarter.

_I don't understand,_ she thought, _I set the difficulty to 5, not 20,000,000._

Being forced to fight in tougher circumstances, she knew she could no longer operate with taking them all out at once. She needed to correctly defeat them one at a time. Grinding her teeth and clenching her fists, she concentrated on the one directly in front of her, lashing out punches and making sure it could not strike back. When it wobbled backwards, she had to use her chin kick, 'knocking it out'. She used similar tactics with the remaining bots, however, after each one was destroyed, the difficulty seemed to be amped up. From nowhere, she was placed in a head lock. Accidentally, she had allowed one to get behind her. Jumping in the air, she slammed down onto her back, disengaging the one who held her in place. The more frustrated she got, the more fiery her powers got. Manipulating hands to two of her targets, she crushed them, screaming while throwing their remains to the side. One tried an aerial strike, but she caught it and slammed it to the floor repeatedly. With a smile on her face, she was ripping apart her enemies. Three to go, and two of them were running towards her. Cockily, she ran forward and engaged. However, just as she had finished off the last of the pair, there was a stabbing pain in her side. Whipping around, grasping her side, she realized she had forgotten about the last bot and its location. Her hand was warm, sticky. Looking down, she saw the shard of machinery buried into her left side. The bot, her blood dripping from its claws, stalked forward. Jane trapped its legs and sealed it in a barrier, a barrier which shrunk until it crushed the bot where it stood. Doing all this with wide eyes and horror flooding her mind, all she could think of was ripping the shard out.

"Oh god..." she whispered, "Oh god, oh god..."

Trying not to panic, she ripped the shard out and activated her healing element. The problem was she had no idea how fast the wound would close, and she was losing blood fast.

"A bandage... I need a bandage."

With quick thinking, she created a slab of energy and 'pasted' it onto her side. As a temporary bandage, it seemed to work, but she knew it wouldn't hold up forever. The opening of the chamber door startled her, and whilst panting, she turned to see her master walking in calmly.

"I was wondering where you were." he greeted. "I had a feeling you were in here, but it seems you've run into a little trouble."

Shuffling forward, hand on her side, she greeted him with a pale face and a smile.

"I was working on a lot of things in here. I'm sorry I haven't come out..."

"Good endurance," he commented as she approached, "setting the difficulty to 5 was smart in the long run, but how did you expect to defeat them all without their tactics changing?"

Without giving a response, she saw him extend his hand.

"Apprentice?"

With a grin, she slapped his hand in a form of high-five and chuckled.

"Low five..." she mumbled.

Falling forward, she landed face first onto the floor, leaving Slade confused. His hand was still extended, as if he was taken aback, and he slowly retracted it.

"I see."

No response. Using his foot, he rolled her over onto her back. Out cold, but seemingly comfortable as a log. In the metaphorical sense. Her temporary bandage was still intact, and her healing had slowed down the bleeding.

"The fact that you can keep control over your powers while unconscious is impressive." he talked down at her. "However, your foolishness at the end is what almost got you killed. I think you understood that and is why you acted so quickly."

The wound in her side had stopped bleeding, the color returning to her face.

"It should be time soon." he looked around the room. "You have further understanding of your flaws and what it takes to correct them. For now you need rest, but tomorrow, we discuss plans."

Still seeing her on the ground, he sighed.

"You're of no use to me on the floor like that. Come now."

With a grunt, he picked her up and carried her out of the training chamber. On his way out through the doorframe, he looked at the keypad. It was still set to 10, like he had left it.

 

_"We escape tonight, John." Jane whispered, stirring bland mashed potatoes on a lunch tray. "Did you set everything up like you were supposed to?"_

_John looked at her blankly, scratching his cheek. "Listen, Jane, I did the stuff you asked, and I'm full throttle on this, but what about the others?" he looked around at their friends. "When someone like you escapes, what's going to happen to the rest of them? The rules will be stricter, hell, some of them might be killed after this."_

_Grinding her teeth, Jane glared at him. "What do you mean 'someone like me'?"_

_"I MEAN that someone with powers." John created a tower with his own food. "As someone with no powers, that you constantly are reminding me of by the way, it seems only logical that the others escape with us. We aren't alone here."_

_"I know we aren't alone." stabbing her fork into her gross chicken leg, she looked around. "But John, it's too risky. What if someone rags on us? They'll kill us."_

_"They'll kill you." John corrected._

_"I don't want to die, John." she whispered, not looking at him._

_By the sound of her voice, it seemed that Jane was truly afraid. Daily visits to Detoxification were destroying her, both physically and mentally. Escape, for her, was the only option._

_"What if I tell the book club? I can say that whoever wants to go with us can. We can escape together, as friends. You know?"_

_Jane stared back down at her lunch tray. "If we get too much trouble tonight...I blame you."_

_"Granted," John molded his mashed-potato tower quite nicely, "if anybody shows up at all today."_

_Heart skipping a beat, Jane looked up again. "What do you mean?"_

_"Well, your little 'glowy hands trick' in the middle of reading yesterday wasn't unseen by all the doctors." he made painful eye contact with her. "And you weren't the only one taken to detox."_

_Sweat dribbling down her face, she held her head in agony. "Why are you telling me this?"_

_"Because you need to know how dangerous this all is."_

_Pushing her tray away from her, she placed her head on the table, wrapping her arms around her head as if to disappear. Her hands turned on and off._

_"Jane?"_

_She responded dully, "I don't feel so good right now...I want to go back to my room..."_

_"Should I take you back? I mean...your hands are--"_

_Standing up abruptly, eyes glazed over, she walked away from the table. Putting her hands in her pockets hid the light, and all she could think of was the escape that night. Leaving the cafeteria and her peers, she slunk down the hallway until she found her room, unlocking it and closing the door softly behind her. The barred window showed the cloudiness outside, but Jane wasn't paying attention to that. Lying down in her bed, she cried._

**_Several Hours Later_ **

_She was tossing a sock ball up and down when the fire alarm went off. Good._

_"Showtime."_

_Running up to her door, she opened it to see guards running down the hallway back towards the male wing. Other female companions looked at her, relieved it wasn't her creating a disturbance, but the same could be said about Jane to those same companions. The bell was soon accompanied with the red, flashing light. The girls ran down the hallway, screaming, but some of them hung behind._

_"Jane." a girl greeted, "Why weren't you at book club?"_

_Jane didn't answer her._

_"I get it. John told us. He told all of us. We're coming with you."_

_"Melanie, you don't have to. If you're caught, you're all fucked. And it'll be all my fault."_

_Without another word, Jane sprinted in the opposite direction as the guards and moved on to phase two. Running by the doctors' offices, she slammed the doors shut so none of them could use their weapons against her. Not taking her medication that day, or, well, ever, assisted in the sealing of the doors. John was supposed to be waiting near the detox room so they could blast out from the second floor. As she turned the corner, she was tackled by a stray guard. Screaming, she threw him off of her and pinned him to the wall with her powers. Breathing heavily, adrenaline pumping through her veins, the seals on the offices broke, doctors swarming out into the hallway._

_"Shitshitshitshit!" she shouted, throwing the guard into the group of people._

_Sprinting down the hallway, she felt darts whizz by her body, hearing a separate alarm going off that signaled a "Power" was running loose. On the other end of the hallway, by the window, John came around the corner and stopped, seeing the crowd following his friend. Jane threw up a barrier behind her to buy them some time, but it shattered quickly when the mass of doctors ran into it. Finally, a pinch was felt in her back, just along her spine. Feeling numbness quickly spread through her body, her legs felt like dumbbells, making her slow to a near stop._

_"Jane!" John shouted._

_As she felt herself fall to her knees, she felt something pounding in her head. Muscles were twitching and her veins seemed to burn. Unless she could do something, she would be cuffed, restrained, and taken away forever. As she felt blackness come over her brain, something kept part of her awake. Eyes glowing, hearing the footsteps of the doctors growing closer, she forced herself to stand._

_"Freeze!" A doctor shouted, "Jane, get on your knees! Don't make us shoot another dart!"_

_Slowly, she turned around, a surge of power emanating around her body. Her eyes were pure white, the energy dripping from her hands like plasma. Her hair began to rise off of her back, as if a powerful gust of air were making it move._

_"JANE!" the doctor shouted again._

_Her frown slowly rose into a demented smile._

_"SHOOT HER!" another doctor commanded._

_"No!" the original doctor shouted, turning to face the rest. "WAIT!"_

_A gigantic hand she created plucked the commanding doctor from the floor and crushed him slowly, the man's screams of agony echoing down the hallways and louder than the sirens. There was a loud snapping sound, as what they assumed to be his spine shattered. His body went limp and, in response, Jane whipped his body into a wall, blood splattering everywhere. In horror behind her, John, being accompanied by several boys and girls, backed away with wide eyes._

_"DETAIN!" a guard commanded._

_With the movement of her hands, she created barriers around the pairs of feet belonging to several guards, using them to make them levitate, later throwing them away from her. The original doctor held his place in the front of the group, face pale and sweat dripping from his chin._

_"Jane, please." the doctor spoke loud enough for her to hear. "You can stop this now! You don't have to do this!"_

_All she did was smile, a hand forming in front of her and grabbing the doctor. Holding him there, the surge of energy flowing through her caused her to levitate, and as she did, she brought him closer to her face._

_"Jane...Jane, remember who I am!" he begged as he couldn't see through the white glow in her eyes._

_The hand split into two, one hand grabbing each side of the doctor. As he screamed at her for forgiveness, the hands pulled on him in separate directions. The harder she pulled, the larger and more demented her smile grew._

_"JANE!" John shouted from his distance._

_Not able to hear him, Jane began to laugh as she watched the doctor's clothes rip, the skin coming with it. Tugging one last time, she ripped the doctor cleanly in half, down the middle of his spine, leaving his head to fall to the floor as a detached entity. Throwing the halves of his body down the hall at the remaining people, she laughed up at the ceiling until she couldn't breathe anymore._

Gasping, Jane bolted upright in her bed, panic coursing through her veins. Instinctively, the first things she looked at were her hands. They weren't glowing, but she felt like they should have been. Breathing heavily, she could recognize she was in a bedroom, having to be hers because she could spot a camera on the ceiling. For a moment, she forgot her grip on reality and needed to claw at the sheets for recognition of her location. Her breathing slowed down when she realized it _was_ her bedroom, where she was alone and safe. Something rang over a type of loudspeaker and it startled her, making her look frantically around the room again.

                        _"Apprentice,"_ it was Slade. _"Meet me in the main room. We have things to discuss."_

            Standing, she took a deep breath and nodded. Looking down at her hands again, she clenched them into fists.

                        "Whatever that was..." she whispered. "...just don't worry about it. It was just a dream..."

                        Leaving her room, she made her way through the dim lighting that she now called home. As eerie as it was to call it home, the feeling of it had just come to her. As she walked the last thing she remembered was patching a wound in her side with her powers. Looking down, she saw no blood or tearing, which either meant her suit repaired itself with her healing, or she was about to run for the hills if her suit was somehow switched for another one. As she reached the largest room, the familiar pounding of clock gears welcomed her, as well as the large monitor filled with static. Slade was nowhere to be found.

                        _Is it time?_ she thought to herself.

                        Contrary to her belief, he simply walked in, not asking for a fight. To her it was odd, but perhaps this was just a discussion.

                        "Did you have a nice rest?" he asked.

                        "Well, I'm refreshed and ready to go, if that's the answer you're looking for. I'm sorry about my performance in training, I got ahead of myself and got stabbed because of it."

                        "Your suit regenerates accordingly with your powers, so there isn't much to worry about with suit tearing."

                        _OH THANK GOD._

"I monitored your vital signs while you rested." he walked right past her and over to the monitor, bringing up a faux body of her through the keypad. "Increased heart rate, high adrenaline, quickened breathing." as he listed them off, numbers and graphs popped up.

                        "Is it because of my powers when I sleep?" she asked.

                        "Wrong." he said, not turning around.

                        She knew what answer he was looking for.

                        "I did have a nightmare." she admitted.

                        "I figured as such. The readings were strange at the time, considering you were asleep." he used a time lapse to prove his readings. "In one particular spot, it spiked enormously. So much, in fact, I thought you triggered your powers in your sleep."

                        Seeing the time lapse, she stepped closer and looked at the screen with him. What she saw was definitely surprising.

                        "Shit." she commented.

                        "What were you seeing in this nightmare?" he asked, watching the time lapse numerous times, as if to decipher the meaning for himself.

                        Hesitating, she couldn't just make something up. In reality, it was all a blur to her. Should she just say that? Or should she just say what she did remember? Well, she thought, if she gave her first answer, he would ask her to recall everything anyway.

                        "I remember a lot of blood," she didn't look at him, just the readings. "And I think my powers were involved."

                        "Think harder." he ordered.

                        "The doctors were there." the thought suddenly came to her. "I was in the orphanage. John and I were escaping." her head began to pound.

                        "Harder." he glared down at her.

                        It began resurfacing in flashes, but it hurt. It began spilling out of her mouth as she recalled it. "I was caught by a guard, I had to use my powers. The fire alarm wasn't enough to distract them so I was an idiot, I just went for it."

                        "Where was the blood?" he looked down at her threateningly.

                        Holding her head, she shook it in protest.

                        "ANSWER ME." he ordered louder.

                        "On the doctors." she replied instantly. "On the walls. On the floors. On me."

                        "Where did it come from?"

                        "I...I..."

                        "Apprentice!"

                        "IT CAME FROM ME!" she shouted, head burning.

                        He lifted her by the front of her suit. "HOW?"

                        "I KILLED THE DOCTORS WITH MY POWERS! I RIPPED THEM IN HALF AND SPLATTERED THEM ON THE WALL!"

                        He dropped her, cracking his knuckles when she hit the floor. As she wiped her eyes, she realized that she was crying.

                        "I didn't want to remember...I just hid it in the back of my head..." she stood up slowly.

                        "I know." he replied.

                        Looking at him in horror, she saw his leg come to kick her in the nick of time. Bending backwards to duck, she also dropped to the floor when his arm came to grab her. She rolled away and quickly stood again, in fighting position as he came running at her.

                        "How did you know?!" she ducked from a punch and blocked some more, eyes still wet from the images that had resurfaced..

                        "I know many things."

                        Swerve left, duck to the right, punch to the right, get blocked with his forearm. The cycle of similar events continued as their combat grew stronger. He grabbed her leg when she performed a clumsy back handspring, aiming to throw her into a piece of machinery. However, as he let go, a white hand clung to his arm, and with her existing force Jane used him as a counter weight. Slade came flying towards her, and with a clean punch to the mask, she had finally made contact. Backing up from where he landed, she knew he would probably be angry.

                        "Good recovery." he cracked his neck, standing up. "Well done."

                        "You know about the orphanage, don't you?" she asked, fists clenched and shaking.

                        "How about a deal?" he asked. "For every strike you lay on me, I will provide one answer."

                        "Deal."

                        "I know about your time in the orphanage, yes."

                        Running at him, she knew a jumping strike would be no good, he was taller than her and had a more appeasable reach. Besides, he looked ready for that. Instead, she dropped and slid on her legs, as if she were sliding into home base, and created a sharp barrier around herself. As she thought, he dodged it, but not completely scott-free. A hand shot out of her barrier and grabbed his foot. She used it to swing around from an around the back aerial strike, using her powers and Slade as a type of slingshot for herself. Just when she thought she would have another answer, he lifted his arms and grabbed her torso, flinging her around and throwing her farther away from him. She hit the ground hard and came to a stop by dragging her forearms on the ground. Lifting her head, she saw his feet running towards her. She ensnared his feet in an orb, causing him to trip and fall.

                        "What do you know about it?!" she shouted.

                        "Don't get so flustered." he threw his staff at her.

                        His staff, extending mid-air, hit her in the face and caused the orb to falter. He escaped and tackled her to the ground, pressing his elbow into her throat.

                        _Don't kill me for this._

She kneed him between the legs and of course that worked. It loosened his elbow enough so she could push him off, powers helping her.

                        "That gives me an answer!" she shouted, escaping his clutches.

                        Growling, he stood up uncomfortably. "They tried to 'cleanse you' of your powers. The more you used them, the more you would be tortured with their devices. You wanted to get out and they knew that."

                        Shaking, she blindly began attacking. "Why didn't you tell me you _knew_?!"

                        Successfully blocking every attack, he slid some attacks of his own in, hitting her hard. Coughing, she recovered, though very badly. Grinding her teeth angrily, one idea came into her head that she knew she would regret later.

                        _What else aren't you telling me?_

When she caught her breath, she grew confident, running in towards him. He tried to strike her, but she had no plans of fighting back physically. Slade grew angry, as if he knew what was about to happen. With a final duck, she sprung upward and grasped the sides of his head, hands glowing white with her eyes to match.

                        "Get off of me!" he tried pulling her off, but it was too late.

                        The both of them froze, as if they were held in time.


	6. The Beginning Earthquake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting answers, Jane is thrust into her first mission: return to the Titans under the ruse of innocence. She is to gain information on how they interact, battle, and strategize. It is also a test of her loyalty as Slade's apprentice, a test in which she doesn't plan to fail. However, the information she gathered from Slade's head begins to encroach on her negatively.

The information came gushing to her like a river's current. There were images of him outside of the orphanage with multiple sets of files in his hands, at least from what she saw. In his mind, she wasn't a body, just a set of eyes watching what he accidentally let her see. Suddenly, as if there was a "Skip!" button being pressed, they were at the night of the escape, the side of the orphanage blowing out from the chemicals John had set up. John was always better at chemistry. Eerily, she watched herself frantically run through the woods, but she wasn't followed too closely. He had watched her go down, then panned his vision to the tower. Another skip was to a blurry image of a man in a white robe. Feeling a burning sensation, she knew she didn't have much longer inside of his memories. Back to his lair, he seemed to be pacing around while looking at the files that were laid out on a table. He took a modest amount of time looking at them, all with pictures. One file had her name and picture, another had Melanie's, another had Julia's, another had Christina's. There were other boys laid out as well, but not many whom she knew, or knew well enough. From what she could see, all of those in the folders were "Powers" from the orphanage...and all but hers had a "Terminated" stamp on the cover. Taken by fear, she was rushed to another memory, or rather, series of memories, all looking at video clips and data. This amount of information made her head hurt. When she was rushed into the final memory, she wasn't prepared. She felt hot. Not because of her master's supposed burning anger, but because her skin felt enveloped with fire. A burning fire that seemed to melt her very skin away. It burned to keep her eyes on the memory, but as she looked through Slade's vision, all she felt was oozing heat.

                        _"There you are."_

As if she was being pulled out of head, the memory vanished. Back to reality, she was being physically thrown onto the ground. Those minutes she experienced only turned out to be seconds in physical scape. As she hit the ground, the burning sensation left her body, but she still felt the terrifying feeling of losing her flesh. Backing up like a crab, she looked horrified at him.

                        "What. Did. You. See?" he growled more threateningly with each word.

                        She spoke quickly. "You knew about the orphanage children. You had files, lots of them." catching her breath she looked at her hands. "Including mine. You were watching us. You had us all under your thumb, didn't you?!"

                        Without a word, he walked towards her.

                        "I was the only one that wasn't terminated!" tears began rolling down her cheeks. "I'm the only one that stayed alive..." covering her eyes with balled up fists, her chest shook with crying. "I was the reason they were all killed. It's my fault. It's all my fault."

                        His footsteps stopped.

                        "I understand if you want to punish me." she sniffled. "I used a tactic that you said I wasn't ready for."

                        She didn't see, but he shook his head.

                        "I'm a failure..."

                        "You're ruthless." he spoke up. "You're tactical. You're clever. You hate to lose, you hate it to the extent where you hate yourself." he walked closer. "And all the while, sometimes you can't see what happens right in front of you."

                        Wiping her eyes, she looked up to see his hand extended.

                        "That technique got you the answers you were looking for, didn't it?"

                        Nodding, she took a hold of his hand and he helped her up.

                        "You knew I would get angry at you but you did it anyway. At first glance, I call it disobedience. But at second glance, it was smart. Just never do it to _me_ again." he narrowed his eye at her.

                        "Understood."

                        "You're just like me. You should be proud."

                        A smile slowly spreading on her face, she thought she was dreaming. However, one more thought crossed her mind.

                        "Why didn't you tell me you knew about me? Where I came from? Technically, you've kept secrets from me, too." she pointed her finger at him.

                        "It was a part of your training. I knew eventually you would receive your answers, but that would have come accidentally or through some other means. You came up with a way to demand information and took it into your own hands. You could say I'm coming up with excuses, but to that, I would say 'Fuck you'. Again, I must commend you for being ruthless. I was becoming a little worried, but now I have nothing to fear. I know you have the qualities of being a true apprentice."

                        Eyes seeming to sparkle, she smiled.

                        "The plan goes into effect tomorrow." he walked past her.

                        Following him, she crossed her arms over her torso, feeling a strange uneasiness. She would keep what else she saw to herself, but only for now.

 

**John**

                        "I see your powers are coming in quite nicely." Blood remarked while visiting his pupil.

                        "You came in clutch with this power suit of yours." John smiled. "I'm loving every minute of this."

                        John was making a beach ball hover in mid-air, he himself hovering in the meantime. The suit had been practically glued to his body, so there was no removing it, to Blood's knowledge. Smiling, he clapped for his young boy.

                        "Are you prepared to launch our plan?"

                        "Tell me what it is and I'll do what I have to. I did stuff for Jane all the time, so I know what I'm doing when it comes to the pre-game fight."

                        "Oh, my boy, you won't be a slave with me like you were with her." he made a scroll of paper hover his way.

                        That got John's attention. "What are you talking about?"

                        "Well, from the musings you've spewed at me about that girl, you seemed to always take the back seat. How many times were you thanked for the hard work she made you do? All the times you were punished with her, just for being a bystander?"

                        "It wasn't like that at all..." he slowly hovered to the ground, shock in his eyes.

                        "Let's drop it then." he waved his hand as if to shoo away the conversation. "Anyway, take a look at these blueprints of the city. The parts colored in orange are the parts that Slade burned down."

                        "Jane helped put it out...right?" he looked at the prints.

                        "Oh, yes. The Titans did wonders with putting out the fire." Blood smirked.

                        "So are we avoiding the orange parts or going right through them?"

                        "We sneak through the wreckage over here..." he made a circle in red marker. "And come out into the normal city. By creating havoc, we attract the Titans and lure them in. Initially, I have two targets, but all you need to know is that we draw out our main man."

                        "Slade?"

                        Blood grunted. It seemed easy enough.

                        "Will I need to hurt people?" John asked.

                        "You will oversee the madness, only causing harm to the Titans. They only get in the way."

                        "But Jane--"

                        Blood's eyes glowed red. "THIS PLAN MUST NOT FAIL!"

                        John nodded, looking away.

                        "Now then," he sighed, calmer. "I will allow you to choose who will be doing most of the dirty work for you. Amongst my students....who are you going to pick?"

 

**Jane, 7:00 AM**

            “Could you please explain that one more time?” she asked with a raised brow.

            Unamused, Slade sighed. “You’re infiltrating Titans Tower. Obviously,” he hand gestured. “None of them know of your new position.”

            “So you want me to return to them…for what purpose?” she asked, readjusting her clothes from the fire a few nights ago.

            “Mostly, this part of the assignment is for you. I’m aware that you have trained with them, but only lightly. You’ve fought by their side, so you know, somewhat, what they’re capable of. I can’t send you into a blind attack. Not yet.”

            “I understand. I gotta act natural.”

            “Until you get a clear signal from me. I will retrieve you when necessary. I will decide then and there whether to reveal your position or to just ‘take you away’ again.”

            “I have a concern.” She asked.

            “I’m listening.”

            “Isn’t this kind of what happened with Terra last time? Won’t they be expecting something like this?”

            “I’ve taken that into account.” Walking over to her, he looked down at her disheveled, burnt clothing. “Last time, they were aware that I had reached out to Terra openly about her powers. When she returned to them, she had no clue that what she was doing would have terrible consequences. When she realized the magnitude of what I demanded of her, she backed out, terrified. This time, I have strengthened confidence.”

            With a gulp, she watched him walk over to his monitor and plug in a password, reaching a folder of video documentation. He opened a few clips on screen.

            “They won’t pick up a thing if you do your job properly.”

            A clip had Raven seeming to drown in a pit of mud, while Beast Boy was sealed into a pit. Cyborg fell, his hand extended out in a cord, like he was trying to grapple his way up from something.

            “You will be running from me, as if you escaped.” He began, as if the clips didn’t matter. “I know that you now understand the basics of your healing element, and I know you can turn it off. However…”

            He picked up a syringe of clear liquid. Jane’s palms began to sweat, even though she figured that what he was holding wasn’t lethal.

            “I will need to inject you with this. It blocks your healing element from kicking in accidentally. I have to make it seem like you were tortured, stripped of information, and that you put up a struggle.” His voice reflected sarcastic happiness. “Which I know you did a little, and your calf paid the price.”

            “Kicking in ‘accidentally’? Won’t I be awake?”

            He set the syringe down. After some searching, he lifted another of blue liquid.

            “Not exactly.”

            Her eyes widened. “What is that?”

            Walking circles around her while she stared at the syringe, which seemed to stare back at her menacingly, he continued talking.

            “You will make it into their radar just in time for them to rescue you. That’s what they’ll do, storm into the woods and secure their teammate. Because they _care_ about you _so much_.” His sarcasm dripped with venom. Yowch.

            Clenching her fists, she had mixed feelings about returning. Bitterness, hate, and finally, confusion. Though this position was doing her the better, what if he had killed her? Her teammates hadn’t EVER come to rescue her, in all of those days of training. They had forgotten. Abandoned her after an obvious abduction. They lied that they had cared about anything. They kept secrets from her and asked so much of her, yet somehow there was a section of her heart that couldn’t be angry with them. Knowing she needed to destroy that section of her heart and not let it grow like the Grinch, she looked up at her master contently and nodded.

            “Good.” He squinted. He was pleased. “Now close your eyes, this is going to hurt.”

            “Wait, what?” she looked up at him.

            What she expected to be a small pinch turned out to feel like a small drill was slowly inserting itself into her bloodstream. She couldn’t help but shout in pain with wide eyes, staring at the contact point.

            “I tell you to close your eyes, so you _look at it_?”

            “I didn’t think you would STAB ME WITH IT.”

            “Watch your tone, young lady.” He glared.

            Like her body was a weight, she dropped to the floor, unable to move her now wobbling legs. Frightened, she felt her arm still being held up by his hand.

            “What did you…give me…?”

            He pulled her up and straightened her out. “Walk.”

            Legs being forced to listen, she walked. Guiding her the whole time, he pulled her around corners and onto a staircase. Going up a staircase was absolute madness, the world began to spin around her and she was astounded that she didn’t fall over a railing and die.

            “Listen to me very carefully.”

            She found that she couldn’t talk, but she could still nod. They approached a door that he opened with the push of a button.

            “When I tell you to run, you run. Don’t stop until you get clear sign of them, or at least you can tell that they understand the brunt of your condition.”

            An uncomfortable object was stuck deep within her ear.

            “You will listen and you will perform. Or else there will be consequences.”

            As they left through the door, they were surrounded by rubble, as if an apocalypse had happened in this area and a bit was left unrepaired. It led to the forest, a forest which she recognized, but didn’t at all.

            “When you hear me speak, don’t look alarmed like you usually do. Receiving orders through the earpiece is vital.”

            Gripping her shoulders tighter, it seemed to be a signal for her to walk faster. However, her legs were about ready to give out. Her eyes were foggy and her breathing was confused, inhaling a few times at once and forgetting to exhale sometimes.

            “We’re almost there, apprentice.”

            _Great. I’m about ready to die._

“Remember the plan. Use your cunning. We’ll be in touch.”

            Trying to turn her head to look at him, she felt him twist it forward again. His hands went rigid suddenly.

            “We’re in radar.”

            Narrowing her eyes, she knew it was time to get ready to run. When she tensed her leg muscles in preparation, they nearly collapsed. Slade needed to keep her steady, which annoyed him very much. They approached a drop, not a sharp one, but one that led into thorns and brush. Falling would hurt.

            “Run.” He finally ordered.

            With a light push, he sent her forward. He hadn’t anticipated that she would just tumble down the embankment, but she did. When she reached level ground, she crawled forward trying to stand up. When she finally did, it was difficult to keep going in one perpetual motion. Looking around her, she thought she was in a foreign place, she had no idea where in the forest she was. Suddenly, through the trees, there was water. When she tried making noise, her throat wouldn’t comply with the demand. In the corner of her eye, she thought she saw figures, but she had no idea. The drug she was given was fucking with everything; her smell, her taste, her ability to breathe. Again and again she tried to make noise to make it seem more believable. As she opened her mouth to try one more time, hands grabbed her shoulders from behind. Turning, a scream finally left her mouth and her eyes widened in fear. Blackness was beginning to creep around her vision, so the figure looked absolutely mortifying, a flesh colored, grey, fuzzy image was reaching toward her and she tumbled backward.

            “Jane! Please desist your screaming!” the voice called out to her.

            A rock entered her tunnel vision. Preparing for the searing pain of a jagged stone to her skull, her momentum was suddenly stopped. Unaware of who had grabbed her, she squirmed and made frightened squeals.

            “Put her down, she can’t breathe!” It was Raven’s voice.

            “Gotcha.” The mass holding her up seemed to be Cyborg.

            It was like a bad acid trip. Her stomach was flipping over itself, her eyes felt like they were melting, and her legs were no longer movable. She felt herself be lowered to the ground, supported, but the rest of her just hung, limp.

            “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you!” Starfire was clearly upset.

            “I don’t think she can hear you, Star.”

            “Out of the way!” the obvious alert from Robin was recognizable.

            _Literally, go fuck yourself._

“Jane? Can you hear me?” her chin was tilted upward. “Can you see us? What happened? Where were you?”

            “Robin, she’s all messed up. We need to take her back, ASAP.” Cyborg said.

            “She can’t answer you, so stop.” It was Raven again.

            Forcing to keep her eyes open, she still experienced the fuzziest tunnel vision of her life.

            _I need to try and talk…I need to try…_

“Guys…” she whispered.

            “Yo girl, don’t talk. We know you _want_ to talk, but now ain’t the time.” Cyborg shut her down immediately.

            “Cyborg, she has something to say!” Robin shouted.

            _This isn’t getting anywhere. I need them to get me back._

Not-so-reluctantly, she went limp and closed her eyes. Maybe if she played “whoops I’m dying” with them, they would spring into action. She was kind of right.

            “Cyborg, Starfire! Get her back, now! Raven and Beast Boy, sweep the east for Slade. Terra and I will take the west! Go!”

            She felt the running forward, but it mostly just made her sleepy. It wasn’t the most comfortable sleep she’d have in the last few days, but she was on a mission. Making the Titans squirm had to be the end goal, one way or another.

            _“I’m out of radar, apprentice. They won’t be able to catch me. Don’t worry about it and move on with the plan. You’re on your own until further notice.”_

Even though his voice was right in her eardrum, he sounded so far away. Oddly, she was able to fall asleep, much to the Titans’ panic.

 

**Slade**

“I wonder if the dose I gave her was too much.” He wondered aloud.

            Monitoring from a tree, Jane had made a good effort to make herself seem desperate. The Titans were on top of her location in an instant, her reaction to them making her condition all the more believable. The liquid in the syringe would find key locations in her body to appear black and blue, something her healing element could swiftly wash out when she woke up. The liquid merely simulates a lethal injection of chemicals, when in reality it is, more or less, harmless. He was taking a lot of things into note, like the fact that her arms were crossed, fingers scratching her skin. Ever since their exercise the previous day, she had been doing that. His face twitched.

            “Peculiar, apprentice, that you’re acting such a way after peering at my memories.”

            He felt like an idiot for not jabbing her with the question earlier, but it just couldn’t be helped. He watched as the Titans, mostly Robin, shouted questions at her. However, what brought a twinkle to his eye was the fact she saw her attempts going nowhere, so she did what any possum would do: play ‘kind-of dead’. A chuckle escaped him as Cyborg and Starfire ran off with her, the other four Titans splitting into groups to search for him.

            “Thrilling.” He crossed his arms.

            He knew he was out of range, enough so the Titans could possibly only graze by his location.

            “I’m out of radar, apprentice.” He said clearly for her to hear through the earpiece. “They won’t be able to catch me. Don’t worry about it and move on with the plan. You’re on your own until further notice.”

            Knowing what kind of person she was, he figured that would get her mentally ready to act solo. After looking around, he backtracked through the trees, enthused that the Titans were stupid and unable to find him. As he jumped through the trees, however, something began to itch at him. Something fruity.

            He stopped. “Blood.”

            No response.

            _It isn’t my imagination. He’s here._

Moving along, the itch continued. He was being followed. Whipping his head around to look at what was behind him, it surely wasn’t the Titans. There was a glinting red light, moving in all directions behind him.

            “Blood!” Slade stopped again.

            _A mind trick?_

He knew what Blood was capable of. Because of that, he knew when he was being toyed with. He knew someone was there, and the red glinting could only mean Blood. However, it suddenly stopped.

            “I knew it…it was a mind trick. He must have seen what happened.”

            Continuing to the lair, the suspicion loomed in the back of his mind, like an afterthought on a bookshelf.

 

**Robin**

“Starfire, how is she?” Robin asked, walking into the infirmary.

            Starfire was standing over Jane’s bed with a tablet that read her vital signs. Calmly, she looked over at her friend.

            “She’s currently sleeping, but she will be alright. There is no need to fear.”

            “What’s wrong with her?” he took the tablet.

            “Her healing element has been deactivated, she can’t seem to heal herself.”

            “That syringe Slade had…he must have used it when she was trying to escape.” He looked down at Jane’s face. “She’s bruised and there’s bags under her eyes. She must have been struggling for a while.”

            Starfire covered her mouth. “How awful.”

            “Yes, but we don’t know what information he got out of her, or even what he _wanted_ out of her. When she wakes up, tell me.”

            “We shouldn’t ambush her right away, Robin.” Starfire touched his arm. “Jane is our friend, and we know you care very much, but she is not Slade. Do not frighten her with your questions.”

            Nodding, he scrolled through the medical data. Jane’s heart rate had slowed down back to normal, but her breathing was still out of whack. There were bruises on her arms and face, as well as a grip mark on her calf, shown through a section of jeans that had been burned away the other night. Small burns were on her knees, but nothing seemed to be too life threatening. She knew how to escape in the nick of time.

            “We found you, Jane…you’re safe with us now.”

            “Robin.”

            Cyborg interrupted Robin’s moment with some medical supplies.

            “Unless you wanna help put gauze on gross bruises, you should get out of the way.” He set down a first-aid kit.

            “Let me know when she wakes up, understand?”

            “Right.”

            Walking out, fists clenched, his head was swimming with choice words and possible death threats. Even more, Robin was mobbed with guilt. Externally, Jane looked somewhat alright, but what about internally? He had let her down. They all had.

            “Robin.” His thoughts were interrupted.

            It was Terra, who looked somewhat fearful.

            “Did you double check her? Any weapons, communication, anything that would link her to Slade?”

            Robin was taken aback. “Are you suggesting Jane is a traitor?”

            “I…” she looked down at her feet. “I don’t know…”

            “And no, I didn’t. Terra, I know what you’re afraid of, and it makes me a little afraid too. But look at her in there, she’s a mess. It’s our fault she got anywhere near Slade. I wasn’t quick enough, we couldn’t save her.” He turned away.

            “Robin,” she sighed sadly. “I understand how you must feel. But Jane was gone for days, who knows—”

            “We know nothing, Terra!” he snapped. “Neither do you!” seeing that what he said was uncalled for, he took a breath. “I’m sorry. But Jane _isn’t_ a traitor.”

            Storming away and down the rest of the hallway, Terra herself was taken aback. Nobody knew what to think, rational or not.

 

**Jane**

_My skin burns. I hate it._

_“Jane? Yo, girl, what’s wrong?”_

_It itches, it itches so badly. I just want it to fall off already._

_“I’ve heard of sleep walking, but sleep, eh, scratchin’? Star, can you hold her arms?”_

_It itches so much. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Just let it fall off, please._

_“Just hang on, I know the bruises hurt. You’re gonna be okay. Star, ointment.”_

_It burns, it burns, it burns! The ointment burns, it burns just like…!_

“Hot lava…” she opened her eyes.

            Cyborg and Starfire looked at her, confused. Blinking, she realized she may have been sleep talking. Whoops.

            “Hot lava? Girl, what are you talking about? It’s ointment. It may have a red bottle, but it doesn’t mean it’s liquid fire.” He examined it. “Maybe.”

            Sitting up, she paid no attention to his joke. She merely clenched her hands over and over, seeing how far gone the liquid’s effects have gone. Something wouldn’t click, and she figured it to be her healing element, just as Slade said. She woke up a bit prematurely then.

“Jane, you must rest! You are injured and broken!” Star tried to make her lie back down.

            “I’m fine.”

            “Uh, Jane, no you’re not. Your heart rate was off the charts and your breathing was slim to none. Did Slade make you say stuff? Do stuff to throw us off? Where were you?”

            “I don’t know, why don’t you guys tell me…?” she sniffled.

            _What? Are these tears?_

“Jane, do not cry…” Starfire cupped her hands together and her heart seemed to sink.

            The infirmary doors opened and Robin led the way for Beast Boy, Terra, and Raven. The entire team was surrounding her bed.

            “Jane—” Robin started.

            “WHERE WERE YOU GUYS?!” she shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I WOKE UP IN THIS SCARY PLACE AND I COULDN’T FIND YOU! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONE FOREVER!” she hiccupped occasionally. “DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YELLING I DID? HOW MUCH _SCREAMING_ I DID?”

            All of their faces sunk at the same time, Robin seeming to be affected the most. For some reason, she couldn’t stop crying. She covered her eyes with balled up fists and sobbed. Suddenly, she felt enclosed in warmth. Hugs. All of them were giving her hugs.

            “We’re so sorry, Jane. We couldn’t find you.” Robin explained. “You didn’t exist on the radar, we scanned everywhere.”

            Rage boiled inside of her body.

            “It wasn’t that we didn’t want to find you, it’s that we couldn’t find you.” Cyborg said.

            “Slade’s elusive. If he was able to be caught, this never would have happened.” Terra admitted.

            With her crying and not answering, the Titans wouldn’t let go. As much as she wished they would, she also didn’t want them to at all. It was an annoying yet soothing feeling. Slade was 100% right, she accepted closure wherever it was offered.

            “Tell me when you’re ready to answer some questions.” Robin pulled away. “I know it’s hard, but you have to.”

            When the rest of them pulled away with him, she wiped her eyes. “I can do it now.”

            “Are you sure?” he asked.

            “Yes.” She sniffled. “I just needed to let that out. I’m sorry.”

            _I can apologize again. Though I have nothing to actually be sorry about._

“Don’t be sorry.” He smiled. “It’s good to have you back, Jane.”

            Nodding, she watched as they all stood around her. They looked serious as all hell, but she knew they could never hurt her.

            “What do you remember? I know there’s a lot, but start at the beginning.” He stood at the foot of her bed.

            “I was hanging from chains…” she rubbed her wrists in remembrance. “And my powers didn’t work. All I knew was that I wasn’t at home. I knew what had happened in the city.”

            “What next?”

            Cyborg seemed to be typing things into his wrist.

            “He just, like, appeared out of the shadows,” she used aggressive hand motions. “And he said I was asleep for like…” she squinted in thought. “26 hours.” She exaggerated a bit.

            “Was it ‘like’ 26 hours or just 26 hours?” Robin asked.

            “Just 26.” She smiled. “Sorry, I say ‘like’ a lot.”

            “I know, it’s okay.” He smiled back, but then got serious. “What happened next?”

            “I questioned him, mainly by shouting. I couldn’t break the chains without my powers, so I resorted to trying to kick him. He said things, horrible things…” she sniffled. “He said you weren’t my friends…that you didn’t want to save me…I retaliated, I shouted, I yelled and yelled and kicked. He eventually took hold of my leg and twisted it…I never really broke free until last night…”

            “All that time? All those hours and you just…hung there?” Beast Boy asked. “Did you even eat?”

            “There was rice…I think…” she closed her eyes. “I don’t remember that well, I was dizzy. I don’t even remember how I ate it…”

            “What did he ask you for? Information, plans? What?”

            “He told me he wanted to know how I…” she stopped.

            They all looked at each other collectively.

            “How I broke out of the orphanage. He said he saw me running through the woods and that got him interested. Other than that, I don’t know what he wanted me for…he just taunted me and belittled me, he just made me feel like shit…” she realized she was crying again.

            “How did you escape?” Robin finally asked.

            “I pulled down on the chains a lot and saw that it usually got me nowhere. At one point, I just summoned my powers so severely I got a nosebleed. I was surprised when it actually worked. I couldn’t stand up at first, and I realized I had made too much noise… He found me really quickly…with something in his hand…”

            “That syringe…” Robin glared. “He tried to stop you by destroying you.”

            “I tried to run, but he caught my arm and swiped me with it…I don’t know how much was injected. I ran and ran, and I eventually found a door to the outside. I had no idea where I was, I just fucking ran…”

            “Did you fight?” Robin asked.

            “I tried. I mostly tried running, but if I had to block or attack in order to run, or at least try, I did. I almost got a good hit to the fucking mask…I only got the shoulder…”

            “Is there anything else you can remember? Anything at all that might be important?” he urged.

            Holding her head, she held her eyes shut. “I…I don’t know…I’m sorry, I don’t remember…” she teared up again. “It was just so difficult to go through, it just…I hated it…I just…”

            “That’s enough.” Cyborg closed his wrist keyboard. “If you can’t remember now, there’s no point in pushin’ it. It’s obvious you were scared, and it’s obvious you didn’t do anything wrong. Am I right, guys?”

            Everyone gave a nod, except for Terra, who seemed skeptical. Jane’s eye twitched.

            “Terra…” she asked innocently. “What’s wrong?”

            Terra shook her head frantically. “No, no! It’s nothing, I’m just, um…” she sighed. “…I’m just thinking.”

            Robin dropped the serious tone. “Thank you Jane. I know being questioned like that was strange, but it needed to be done.”

            “If I remember, anything else, I’ll tell you.” She promised. “I’m sorry I’m useless to you.” She slumped over, sad looking.

            “Nonsense!” Starfire shouted. “You have never been useless to us!” she hovered in the air and patted Jane’s head. “You are our friend. You will never be useless to us!”

            “Starfire’s right!” Beast Boy turned into a cat and sat on the bed. “You’re not useless. You’re kick ass! The next time we see Slade, he’s gonna get a dose of kung-pow chicken!” he batted his paws in the air.

            “We’ll all be there for you.” Robin rested a hand on her shoulder. “Until then, focus on recovery. When that syringe’s effects wear off, I think it’s safe to say that you’re safe.”

            Jane smiled. “Thank you.”

            A stomach growling ruined the moment. All eyes moved to Jane’s stomach, which was rumbling ferociously. With laughter, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, which made them all very unhappy.

            “Jane!”

            When she stood up, she fell right back down.

            “Jane, you should be in bed!” Robin woed.

            “So hungry though…” she smiled, cheek against the floor and trying to drag herself out to the kitchen.

 

            **Later**

Sitting up straight in her hospital bed, she looked down at her arms. The bruising was beginning to settle, her regular color coming back to her skin. Clenching her fists, her resting bitch face was real. Terra was suspicious, as she had feared. She wanted to compile a journal about her efforts, but she thought it would be too risky.

            _There’s cameras all around the Tower. All rooms except for our bedrooms, unless Robin has some kinky shit going on or something._ As she shuddered, she continued to think. _As embarrassed as I am to admit it, I need these Titans to further my training. If I can use them, it will suit my needs very well. The first step, however, is gaining the trust of the girls in the Tower. Raven and Terra have been off since day one. I understand Terra’s reasoning, and she’s hitting the nail on the head, I just need to sway Raven. I don’t know how to do that though. Perhaps I need to…_

Knocks at her door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in.”

            The door slid open and Robin walked in with a glass of water. “Hey, how you doing? I just thought I’d check on you.” He sat in a chair next to her.

            “Well, uh, I’d say everything is healed. I think a good night sleep will be great for me.” She picked up the glass of water. “This is much needed as well.”

            “I’d say this is a sense of déjà vu. You know?” he smiled.

            After a big gulp of water, she nodded. “Totally.”

            “I’m sorry to ask you a question like this, considering our conversation earlier…”

            She rose an eyebrow.

            “Did you notice anything about Slade’s powers? Like markings anywhere in his lair, if you could see, anything at all?”

            Closing her eyes, she tried to think about her time there.

            _“Behave yourself. I’m going out for a bit.”_

_“I have an errand to run. If you need anything, figure it out.”_

_“Never use that on me again.”_

_Even when I was in training, if I would eat, or anything that would involve his interaction…he would be off doing something. I don’t think that has anything to do with what Robin’s talking about though._

“What would I have to look for…?” she asked, keeping her eyes shut.

            “A red symbol on his forehead, kind of like an S. Ring a bell?”

            “No.” she opened her eyes. “Nothing like that. I don’t remember him using his powers at all.”

            “Damn.” He lowered his head.

            “May I ask what those are? How did they come about?”

            “A while back, Slade came into contact with an interdimensional demon named Trigon.” Robin explained. “They made a deal. Slade would have had to deliver Raven to Trigon so he could bring about the end of the world. In order to do that, Slade was given powers. The problem is, Slade’s powers were supposed to be taken away. The Ring of Azar broke, and that’s what made his powers work in the first place. We knew he was kept alive by the Mark of Scath, but…”

            “I didn’t see a ring…” she whispered.

            “Or a mark?”

            “Isn’t this what you guys were talking about that one time? About unbreakable rings and fire and The Underworld?”

            “Yes. If Slade has is powers back, there’s something up his sleeve. The only way to find out what is to fight him, maybe even capture him.”

            Jane was silent for a few moments. “How did he come to meet a demon like that in the first place?”

            “Terra killed him.”

            Her heart skipped a beat. “What…?”

            Her arms itched terribly and her head felt hot, like she was on fire. What she saw in Slade’s memory was resurfacing, and she began to scratch her arms.

            “He was flung into a pit of lava.”

            Trying not to look too alarmed, she clutched her glass of water and gulped it down, hands shaking and arms red from scratching.

            “Jane, what’s wrong?” he sounded seriously concerned.

            “What a way to die…” her voice shook. “Burned alive…in a pit of lava…”

            Finishing off her water, she set the glass back down, trying to calm herself. Robin touched her arm gently, which startled her.

            “I’m sorry to make you upset.”

            Slowly, she moved her arm away. “I just don’t like hearing about death.”

            “Would you like someone to watch over you tonight, to make sure he doesn’t come back for you?” he asked.

            “If someone would like to, they can stay outside.” A switch seemed to go off that made her angry, but she tried not to show it. “But actually, I have a question.”

            “Go ahead. You can ask me anything.”

            “I want to help in any way I can…in finding what answers you need. Before you retaliate, close your whore mouth.” She pointed at him. “Would Raven give me any clues? I’m assuming that she would know for the best, right? Hopefully I can think of something by the time I wake up tomorrow, but should I end up talking to her?”

            “Yea! I can let her know that you want to talk to her about it.” He smiled. “I’m glad this piqued your interest, but please, get some sleep. You’re not going anywhere near him, and he’s not going anywhere near you.”

            “That’s the plan…” she laid on her side as Robin stood up. “Thanks, Robin.”

            “Cyborg will stand outside, okay?” he left.

            A smile crept across Jane’s face.

            _I guess I found something to bond over._


	7. Never Again The Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recon continues, and so does Jane's confidence in her abilities. While she has to dumb down her abilities, she gathers important information that would lead her to success. However, she gets cocky, revealing a power that endangers the mission, as well as her life. If things couldn't get any worse, worlds collide. Jane witnesses the monster that John has become, Brother Blood there to encourage it all. They're pawns in similar games, but when face-to-face, they've already made an assortment of different moves.

_“This is interesting.” She stood in a spatial scape of her master’s lair. “The training room is over there. And here is the main room…” she hovered around the replica she created. “This…over here…I guess that’s the ‘cooler room’? I don’t even know what’s in there, I didn’t want to check.” Sighing, she couldn’t pinpoint what Robin was talking about. “What the fuck was he trying to infer, that my master is a servant of some demon fucker? I doubt it. There isn’t anything around here that would promote such a notion. No rings, no marks, no mystery bookshelves…”_

_How this ability worked was interesting. She had discovered it in the orphanage, as she needed to create a mental map to escape. She could build spaces in her mind, examine what she’s already seen. But that was the catch, it had to have already been seen. Not having seen most of his lair, she was locked in what she already experienced the most. As she thought, she came up empty._

_“Could I work with…” a lightbulb went off. “What area did I see in his memories? With the table? Will that work?” she tried forcefully plugging that small piece into the jumbled map. “Of course not…god dammit.”_

_She heard something. Not being sure what or who it was, she put her mental map away. All that there was left was blackness and her hovering body. Listening._

_“Who’s there?” she called out._

_Nobody came._

_“There’s somebody here!” her sudden paranoia even caught her off guard. “Who’s there?!”_

_“Don’t shout at me.” A familiar voice warned._

_Whipping her head in all directions, she couldn’t see him._

_“APPRENTICE!”_

_His shouting rang through her brain._

_“APPRENTICE!”_

Her eyes shot open. Of course, she was covered in sweat. She knew she was going to wake up like that due to the powers she decided to use, but it was more sweat than she anticipated.

            _What the fuck was that?_

Sitting up, she saw a figure in the chair on her right through her peripheral vision. It was Raven, levitating, most likely meditating.

            “Robin said you needed to talk to me.” She opened one eye.

            “Uh…yea…” she cleared her throat. “He brought up something about Slade’s powers, and I know one time we talked about it, but I’ve been to hell and back and I just don’t understand any of it. I thought you could provide insight…? So I can help maybe…?”

            She sat regularly in the chair, uncrossing her legs.

            “What did Robin say?”

            “He asked me if I saw any markings or anything, he said something like an ‘S’.” she explained. “Also, that it would probably show up on his head, and I assume he meant his mask, and the answer is no.”

            “Anything about a ring?” Raven asked, closing her eyes again.

            “Robin mentioned something, but I didn’t see one on him. No ring and no mark.” She shrugged.

            “So what do you need me for?” Raven asked.

            “Let me in on this too.” She was as sincere as she forced herself to be. “I want to help. I want to know…maybe prepare…for next time…” she looked down at her blankets.

            Raven was silent for a few moments, which at first worried her. But when Raven let out a sigh, Jane had to suppress a grin.

            “Slade would have to have some sort of indication of having his powers, whether that be through a physical artifact or some sort of symbol on his person.” Her tone of voice was constantly monotone, which was interesting. “The fact he doesn’t _have_ anything means that he’s handed something over to the Underworld that would allow him to keep his powers permanently.” Despite of what she said, Jane could still tell something didn’t sit right with her cloaked friend. “Are you _positive_ he didn’t have a ring?”

            “I didn’t see one.” Jane repeated.

            “Did he use his powers while you were kept captive there?”

            Jane took a second to think. _No fire. I don’t have any recollection of fire spewing ANYWHERE to be honest… How didn’t I catch that? Or even ask? I’ll have to ask another time._

“No…” she shook her head. “No fire.”

            Raven went silent again.

            “I…I remember we talked about this before. The first night he attacked the city…you said something the next morning about how he would have to make a deal…or present something to…?”

            “My father.”

            _No wonder your attitude is awful, your father’s an interdimensional demon._

“Is there anything I can do? I want to stay away from him. The more I could learn…maybe the better.”

            “That’s kind of counter-productive.” Raven pointed out.

            “Well, whatever I guess. If I know how his powers tick, I know how to avoid being captured again.”

            Raven sighed, something she seemed to do a lot. Jane looked at her hands and clenched them into fists. She felt the faucet turn back on, the drugs had worn off completely. Any remaining bruising that was there disappeared, and Raven watched the blotches cease.

            “Your healing is back.” Raven pointed out.

            “I…” Jane smiled. “I want to thank you, Raven…”

            “For what?”

            “For not giving up on me…and letting me help.”

            Raven, clearly put off-guard by Jane’s statement, nodded in response. “If anything comes to mind about Slade, especially something about his powers, you can always come talk to me. I’ll look into this more, now that we have another pair of hands on this. If there’s anything else you should know that I find, especially if it could be about his coming after you, I’ll come tell you.” She stood up from her chair and faced the door. “You should go back to sleep now that you know you can heal again.” She left without another word.

            _Why does that do the opposite of reassure me?_

**The Next Morning**

_I’ve got a growing bond with Raven. Cementing something about Slade and his weird powers was a good idea. At least, I hope so._

Jane didn’t fall back asleep after Raven left, she had a bad feeling about the thing Raven muttered before she left the room. Instead, she stared at the ceiling and continuously thought of one thing: how the hell she was going to trick the Titans into training her further. When she walked through the main doors to their living room, something clicked. Especially when she saw that big television.

            “John…” she whispered to herself.

            She had been so preoccupied with getting trained by Slade, she had completely forgotten about her best friend. Something tugged at her heartstrings. Perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps it was an opportunity. An opportunity to keep the trust of the Titans. Luckily for her, Cyborg was off watch duty, and was sitting at their coffee table eating some leftover pancakes. She made a beeline.

            “Hey, Cyborg?” she said, coming up behind him.

            Her voice seemed to surprise him. “Jane!” he whipped around.

            “Did I scare you?”

            “You shouldn’t be up and around! If Robin sees you out, he’ll kill me!”

            She sat down next to him. “If Robin sees me out, he needs to calm his gonads and let a girl with HEALING POWERS take control of her own body. I haven’t walked as a free woman in days.” In a way, she wasn’t exactly lying.

            He nodded, knowing she was right.

            “Anyway…I had a question for you.”

            “What’s up, girl?”

            “While I was gone…did you find anything on John?” her voice sounded hopeful, as if she thought he was going to say ‘yes’.

            He hesitated, sensing that hope. “…No, Jane.” He watched her face sink. “I’ve had tabs on the radar, his readings, ever since you started living here. If he is out there, there’s a good chance…”

            “He wasn’t captured.” She cut him off.

            “You don’t know that. There’s a lot of screwed up people in this city. If Slade didn’t take him, then somebody did. Or…”

            Her fists clenched. “The police didn’t find him…there’s no way.”

            Cyborg didn’t say anything, he just chewed his pancakes. Jane took a moment to calm down, knowing that Slade didn’t have her friend. Although, that was another thing to bring up to him when they reunited.

            “I’m sorry to freak you out when you just started eating. I was just looking for good news.” She smiled in apology.

            He smiled back and offered a bite of his breakfast. When she declined, he insisted. Rolling her eyes, she indulged in the offer, taking a bite of clearly several days old pancake. It was always like this, she realized. Every time she was awake, he was awake, too. And the topic was usually the same, herself or John, or both. There was usually food involved too.

            “The gang’s doing some training today.” He mentioned while she was still swallowing. “If you wanna watch, I bet you would like it. Nothing beats some good old fashioned training fun with your pals, huh?” he flexed and made a face.

            While she let out a laugh, she felt herself die inside. _‘Fun with the pals’?_

“Yea, I’ll take you up on that. I’m ready to be involved again. I’m ready to make somebody proud.” She looked at her hands.

            Cyborg let out a gleeful laugh and washed his dishes at the sink. “You already do make us proud, Jane. There ain’t anybody like you.”

            _I’m sure… I’m sure…_

           

**Later**

After her chat with Cyborg, Beast Boy ended up coming in and being overjoyed about Jane’s ‘condition’, and decided to face her at ‘Super Smash Brothers’. They had a good time. In fact, they had so good of a time, they didn’t notice when Terra and Robin, along with Cyborg and Starfire, gathered around to watch. Even if she couldn’t beat his ass in real life, it was still refreshing to do it as a Fire Emblem character. At noon, Robin gathered them all around, including Raven, to talk to them about training procedures.

            “I think we all know why we need to start making this a daily thing. We’re going to get stronger, faster, smarter. We’re going to protect each other better. We can’t give up on each other. We’re a team.” He smiled at them.

            _Ah, yea, a team, might wanna go back to school to learn that one._

“If everyone’s set, then let’s go to the roof!”

            They were a little too excited to start a training session. Way too excited, actually. As they all packed into the elevator to take them up, Terra was a little too close for comfort. Jane could _not_ shake the feeling that Terra knew. Thankfully, Jane’s hair was covering her ears, so there’s no way she would be able to expose the earpiece that was, oh so _lovingly_ , JAMMED deep into her ear canal.

            “Please don’t trap me in a rock bubble this time…” Jane said jokingly.

            Terra smiled back. “I’ll do my best.”

            _Bitch._

“How are you feeling?” Terra asked.

            “Well, my healing is back on. I’m about as fit as a fiddle.” She couldn’t flex with six other people in the elevator. “But I don’t know if I want to full on fight yet…”

            “I wasn’t going to ask you to.” Robin said from somewhere in the mass. “Only train with us if you’re feeling up to it. I understand.”

            Her eye twitched. That was a challenge. When they reached the roof, everyone piled out and onto the training field. It was meant to be in similar fashion than the last time she was up here. Except, this time, she would remain on the sidelines until she deemed it necessary. Sitting crisscross on the side, next to Beast Boy and Raven, who was meditating, she watched as Robin challenged Cyborg first. She watched intently. This information was for her and for her alone, because there was certainly no doubt that Slade already knew everything about their powers.

            “This is gonna be fun, right Jane?” she felt Beast Boy elbow her.

            “Totally.” She smiled. “I might jump in later…I wanna see the battle scene.”

            Robin was impatient, making the first move right out of the gate. He had these discs that caused an explosion when it made contact with his opponent. Cyborg mostly relied on his arm cannons whenever a distance attack had to be used. There was not a lot of information that needed to be compiled here. What interested her the most was Robin’s fighting style. It was crude, and it was more childish, but there it was, it had Slade’s style encrypted behind it. She leaned forward and tried to play it off as butt numbness, but she needed to take a more concentrated look. The way he jumped was awkward, like he knew, deep down, what he was mimicking and he knew he had to mask it. His kicks were hesitant. His back hand springs were well executed, but the arc was all messed up. His punches curved, and their impacts were mostly concentrated on the upper cheek, close to the eyes. She resisted the urge to rub her jaw, because that’s where Slade’s punches mostly settled with her. He had a staff as well, which he only took out when he really wanted some physical, yet distance swinging, attacks. They didn’t let the battle go on for too long, because they had each battle on a timer. At first, she thought that gave her a handicap on learning, but then she realized it was on the contrary. He wasn’t coming for her until he saw she knew what she had to. Her worry subsided for the time being.

            “Nice!” Jane clapped as the two of them came back over. “I haven’t seen you two fight each other, that looked awesome!”

            Starfire and Raven stood as if there was an unspoken pact that they were destined to go next. Robin took a seat on the right side of Jane while Cyborg took the left. They were both sweaty, but they were only on the bench for now, like a basketball game. Sooner or later, they would make their substitutions.

            “I’ve never truly experienced Starfire in a fight.” She handed Robin a water bottle that was passed down from Cyborg. “Last time, she just ran at me with a first-aid kit.” She smiled.

            Robin took long gulps from his water. “But you’ve seen her fight, right?”

            “I’ve been too busy trying to not get my face melted off, so not really.” She raised her eyebrows jokingly.

            He laughed back, hoping her humor was kind and not sarcasm.

            When Raven and Starfire’s battle started, Jane watched in anticipation. This was not something she was allowed to miss. Immediately, the both of them levitated upward, moving through the air elegantly, as if they fought each other regularly. Green energy blasts were hurled from Starfire’s hands in attempt to hit her opponent, but Raven was a crafty little shit. Her powers seemed to be stronger than Starfire’s. Raven had incantations and spells, she seemed to have advanced telekinetic abilities with whatever black aura formed around her hands and eyes. Starfire, another nifty tidbit, could fly and shoot her laser eyes at the same time, which meant that she had a greater amount of _control_ of her powers. That was only made apparent after Raven got frustrated when she was pushed into a corner, where she had to explode, or what it looked like anyway. It appeared an aura-filled, black raven erupted from her body in order to keep Starfire away.

            “These two are opposites, aren’t they?” Jane asked.

            “What gave it away?” Robin joked.

            “Raven gets frustrated and then her powers go all iffy for a minute. Does that happen a lot?”

            “Nah.” Cyborg answered. “Rae usually keeps a good handle on it. Her powers are pretty unique, and…well, we don’t really understand them. I don’t ask.”

            “I wish I could fly…that’d be awesome.” She genuinely smiled.

            Raven appeared to have the upper hand, hurling rocks at Starfire with her magic, if it was safe to even call it magic. Something else that Jane noticed was how often Starfire would have to rely on makeshift barriers in order to avoid being damaged. Starfire was a hesitant attacker with those she considered her friends. Raven, however, was not afraid of holding back. Unless, she thought, she would show an exception in a certain situation. Whatever that situation would be is unknown.

            “Time’s up, ladies!” Robin shouted, startling her for a moment.

            _Jesus, I forgot he was sitting there for a sec._

As the two of them came off the training field, Jane would have to make a decision, and fast. Was she set to train? If she offered to fight who was left, Terra and Beast Boy, it might seem a bit obvious. On the other hand, her merely observing would tip them off as well. She also needed to watch how she fought them, she couldn’t show them that she’s gotten stronger. Terra and Beast Boy stood up, and she knew she needed to make up her mind, and fast.

            “I wanna team up with Jane.” Beast Boy rose his hand.

            “What?” she sounded surprised.

            “C’mon, it’ll be fun! You haven’t kicked some real tushie in a while, and I think I can help you get your feet in gear!” he punched the air. “Or…hands.” He stopped. “Whatever you do.”

            With a smile, she stood up. “That sounds like a great idea. Only if it’s okay with you, Terra.”

            _Thank you, Beast Boy._ She high fived herself in her mind.

            “If you don’t think I can take you both on and wipe you out, I’m gonna teach you a real lesson. Whenever you guys are ready.” Terra smirked.

            The three of them headed out into the training field. Jane was internally ecstatic. Not only was she getting a first-hand observation of their powers, but she was getting an inside look on what it’s like to fight Terra. Experience is the best type of learning, as they say.

            “Let’s kick ass, BB.” Jane gave him a thumbs up.

            The battle began, Terra making the first move by raising the slab of earth she was standing on into the air. Jane needed to downplay, but the only thing she refused to do was keep her healing element on. It was no longer comfortable to pretend to not know how to turn it off. Glancing over at Beast Boy, he nodded at her, a nod that she returned. He transformed into a gorilla, and a big one at that. Jane hitched a ride on his back. Unconsciously, they had a similar plan. Beast Boy charged forward, deflecting incoming rocks that Terra tossed at them. When there was an opening, Jane stood on his shoulders, creating hands that reached out for Terra’s body. At the start of the battle, Jane noticed how Terra cemented her feet, practically, to the stone she rode on. By using Terra as a counterweight, and giving her pal a signal to transform into something smaller, Jane was able to sling upward onto Terra’s personal slab. Beast Boy was meant to take her off of it, by any means he could. Now, obviously, three bodies on one slab of ground was a bit crowded. That was why Beast Boy had to work fast, and scare her enough into detaching herself from the slab. Meanwhile, Jane was there to attempt the same thing, only from a higher angle. Jane sent jabs, on purpose, in a clumsy fashion so that Terra could deflect them with mud that she used as a temporary shield. Terra couldn’t use too much of her powers at once, especially for different purposes, and Jane gathered that from pure dumb luck, because soon enough the slab they were floating on began to crumble. Beast Boy grabbed his partner and jumped off the slab, Terra not far behind. She rolled to a stop, while the team stood and prepped for what could possibly come next. Jane took the initiative before anybody else and ran at her opponent. Terra must have foreseen that move, because before she knew it, Jane was on the ground, chin hitting first. Luckily, she didn’t bite her tongue clean off, but she did know was that she had to get on her feet again. What she didn’t realize was that her feet were entangled in mud, quickly drying. Terra was up, and Beast Boy had his partner’s back, attacking head on. It bought her enough time to undo the damage, breaking the dirt that held her feet captive. While in bear form, Beast Boy was a great threat. Jane repaid the favor to Terra by ensnaring her feet in a white bubble, causing her to trip and fall backwards. To Jane’s dismay, just as Terra hit the ground, the time was called for their battle. She looked up and at the sidelines in surprise.

            _That’s it? That’s all the time I get? A lousy, clumsy, mock battle? That didn’t do anything!_

Beast Boy transformed back to normal and helped Terra off the ground. Jane, wide-eyed, tried not to look like a freak gone through 1,000 wars when the two of them approached.

            “Nice job, partner!” he slapped her on the back.

            “Yea, nice fight. I thought you really had me for a minute there. Well, on that slab, you really knew what you were doing. You’re like a human slingshot!” Terra smiled.

            The two of them walked ahead of her, laughing and chatting, while Jane laughed and kept her composure. She needed to.

            _“Yes, the human slingshot. How fitting.”_

She felt embarrassed. That was the clumsiest battle of her life because she had to hold back, because she had to use teamwork, when all she wanted to do was go all out and show off. The fact he was listening, probably watching all of this, made her even more eager to get this reconnaissance job over and done with.

 

**After Dinner That Night**

Nobody said anything about their training that day. They seemed to just do it and get it over with, like it was routine. There was, however, confirmation that training would occur for the next few days. Good.

            “I need a good shower.” Jane said aloud.

            Terra, reading a book on the couch near her, looked up.

            “Is that weird? Having the desperate need to feel warm water scalding my back?”

            Terra laughed. “No, not at all. You need some TLC…” her voice trailed off a bit.

            Robin, who had been looking through papers at the counter, finally decided to get up and leave, giving them a gigantic yawn while going “goodnight”. As Jane also got up to leave, Terra stopped her.

            “Jane, hold on.”

            Her heart stopped. There’s no way she could have been found out. She sat back down and looked at her, perplexed.

            “I wanted to apologize for the way I’ve acted…ever since Slade showed up.” She set her book down. “I’ve been kind of cold, rude…a little distant…”

            “No, not at all! I don’t even remember you being like that. Dude, you’re being too hard on yourself—”

            “I was afraid, Jane. I thought you were a traitor.”

            Jane blinked. “UM, OKAY, WOW.”

            Terra stuck her hands out. “No, no, no! That isn’t what I mean, I’m just trying to say…”

            Jane narrowed her eyes at her.

            “…This is really hard…for me to say…okay…?”

            “Say what?” Jane asked. When Terra hesitated, Jane already knew. “Terra…what did that man do to you?”

            Her voice was quiet. “Jane. There was one time…when I was Slade’s apprentice. He…he found me, unable to control my powers. He, and the Titans, gave me an offer. He said I had a lot of potential, that he could teach me to do great things. I believed him and I let him train me. I thought I was doing the right thing. But…the things he asked me to do…I did unspeakable things, Jane…” her voice shook. “I was supposed to annihilate them…I was…supposed to rid the city of heroes, so he could have the city all to himself and his droids…” after taking a moment to get a grip, Terra continued. “He made a suit for me. It was weird…and it synched with my nervous system…I think. He had direct access to my powers, just by thinking about it. He had full control of me…and it became really bad when I disobeyed him. I came to my senses too late…and…I ended up rebelling to the point where I killed him…and turning myself to stone in the process…”

            Jane swallowed, eyes wide. She patted Terra’s knee, trying to give her some comfort.

            “I was afraid…because nobody should have to go through that kind of torture again. Nobody should have to be subject to him. Nobody should…” she started to cry.

            “Terra…” she scooched closer so she could rub her back. “It’s okay… I’m sorry you had to go through that. I…I can’t believe…”

            “But you were taken. You must have been so scared…especially against your will like that. I’m sorry we couldn’t—”

            “Enough, okay? I’ve had enough apologies given to me about that. I’m happy you told me…I don’t think of you as any less of a person…I’m just happy you’re here. Safe. And with friends.” She smiled down at her. “Now I won’t go holding a grudge against you…and nobody has the right to. You’re a good fuckin’ girl. Don’t let your past tell you otherwise.”

            Terra looked up. “Thank you, Jane…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

            “Psssh. We’re women, we all have secrets.”

            “Oh yea? What are you hiding?”

            Jane leaned in and whispered, “I’m allergic to latex.”

            Terra burst out laughing, and Jane retracted back to a normal sitting position. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Terra thanked her again.

            “Thank me one more time and I’m gonna kick your ass.” She stood up. “Come on, I think it’s time for bed. Let the controller of the earth have her beauty sleep, huh?”

            Nodding, Terra walked with her out the doors, and into the hall.

            “Have a good shower, Jane. And goodnight.” Terra dismissed herself to her room.

            “Yea…” Jane went to her room to retrieve some clothes. “Goodnight…”

            _No comment about that one?_ She closed her bedroom door behind her. _I guess not, it is only…about 10 at night. Do you sleep? Probably not._ As she gathered up her pajamas and headed to the bathroom, she made her steps with a heavy heart. _I don’t know what I was supposed to do there. I saw an opportunity to listen to her…like a friend._

“Except…” she whispered. “I’m not…” she tiptoed into the bathroom.

            As she undressed, she let the shower run until the water got hot enough. Any of the personal hygiene supplies she had bought for herself were still here. So was all of her clothing. So was her bed. She needed to slap herself in the privacy of the bathroom so she could get her mind straight.

            “If he could hear my brain right now…he’d be screaming…” she whispered.

            When she stepped into the shower, she felt the hot water blast against her back. It felt comfortable on her muscles, and it relaxed the tension in her neck. Her healing element worked wonders, but nothing beat the true magnificence of a hot shower. While she shampooed, she noticed that the water was a little _too_ hot. Eyes closed from the suds, she turned it down a little bit.

            “Is this thing water proof?” she asked aloud. She shrugged. “Oh well.”

            While rinsing, the water was still too hot. Thinking she turned the handle the wrong way, she turned it back the other way, which of course was scalding hot. After swearing, she continued to turn it back down. Her struggle caused suds to fall down her face, almost into her eyes. Her skin was blazing, it was like she was going to melt onto the floor of the shower. Wiping the suds from her eyes, she opened them to find the water to be smoking, the water all around her turned into molten lava.

            “What the fuck…?! What…?!!”

            Her skin was covered in it. Down her chest, down her legs, burning her skin and melting it from her very being. Breathing heavily, she scratched her arms, her stomach, and her face. When she felt the skin still there, she clenched her eyes closed, telling herself that it wasn’t real. The lava was actually hot water. She was safe. Nothing could hurt her. Opening her eyes again, the suds out of her hair and pooled around her feet and the drain, she felt how COLD the water actually was. What else she felt was the substance running from her nose. Looking down, she was able to see it, too. Another nosebleed.

            “Shit, fuck, shit…!” she tried rinsing off her front, where the blood was running.

            With no time for conditioner, she shut the shower off and stepped out, tilting her head back to stop the bleeding. Grabbing a washcloth, she pressed it to her right nostril and over the sink. If anybody came in to use the toilet, she would have to awkwardly explain why she was standing, naked, in the middle of the bathroom while soaking wet. In order to ease up that process, she shoved some toilet paper into her nostril and tried, delicately, to dry herself off along with her hair. Another set of towels would be a little bloody, but that was the kicker of having powers. No longer sopping wet, she threw her pajamas on and slowly made her way back to her room, keeping the wad in her nostril. She tossed her clothes with the rest in the hamper and walked around in circles, staring at the ceiling until she thought the bleeding had stopped.

            “But what would cause a nosebleed?” she thought out loud.

            The last time she had a nosebleed that dire was when she had made the mental connection with John. Ever since then, she hadn’t tried. Perhaps these nosebleeds were some sort of message; one that she was too stupid to figure out. With a sigh, she plopped down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She wasn’t concerned about the nosebleed, she was concerned of what she saw beforehand.

            _Lava. What I saw was lava, what I saw was him dying. But why does it keep haunting me?_

Shutting her bedside light off, she turned onto her side.

            _Unless that’s a message too. Do I have to go back into his head?_

Just THINKING about that scared the shit out of her.

            _Nonononononononono, he would fucking K I L L ME if I snuck my way into his head again, he would take me out right then and…_

Shaking her head made her stop thinking about it. She must have been overthinking it, she thought. She needed to drop it. More importantly, she needed rest. Tomorrow, she would have a new training idea. Tomorrow, she would get the sense for group combat.

 

**Recon Day 3**

“Group battles?” Robin asked at breakfast, surprise in his voice.

            “Yea!” her eyes sparkled. “Beast Boy gave me the idea…kind of.”

            “See, Robin? The B Man always comes in clutch when you need him.” He gave Robin a thumbs up from the table.

            “Well, Jane, what do you have in mind?” Robin asked.

            Cyborg and Starfire looked intrigued as well.

            “Well, maybe we can do like groups of two, then maybe groups of three and we can rotate while someone times it. I think it would give us a better feel for big fights, like allow us to focus on the true nature of teamwork instead of going for each other’s throats in 1 on 1!”

            “That sounds interesting…” Raven gave her a look.

            “Well, I mean, by focusing on teamwork, we get to really know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. By knowing that, we know when to back each other up, we know when not to jump in.” she looked right back at Raven. “I know, for instance, my powers clash with yours. I don’t want to get in the way. And in fact, I’m terrified of it. I just kinda…ya know, I thought it could be fun, too.” She shrugged.

            Starfire took finished plates to the sink. “Perhaps the classic male versus female is in order?”

            Terra grinned. “That sounds like a _great_ idea, Starfire.”

            Beast Boy, thinking his masculinity was going to be compromised, turned into a wolf, then back again.

            “Oh yea?! I bet us guys can wipe you out any day!”

            Robin had to settle them down. “Jane, I think the idea is great, but are you sure you—”

            “What’s the matter, Robin?” she got threateningly close to him. “Afraid some scared little girl is gonna kick your ass?”

            Robin smirked. “You’re on.”

            “See you in training, bucko.” She turned and left the room, a fire burning in her eyes.

 

            **Training**

_Shit, this isn’t going to work._

The group was mostly focused on that joke challenge that Starfire brought up and that she foolishly decided to go along with. She decided to go along with it because that’s what she thought would get them to actually consider doing the exercise. It was her, Terra, Raven, and Starfire against Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Robin. Her eye twitched, she had hoped for a different pairing. In all honesty, being teamed up with Robin would have been more accurate in the long run. However, she would let this happen. She would still get something out of it.

            “Who’s ready to be taken down?!” Beast Boy shouted from across the field.

            “BITE ME, BEAST BOY!” Terra screamed.

            _Okay, maybe this might work._

She turned off her healing element again so that she could filter out more power offensively. Nobody needed to know. As the battle began, Starfire threw green orbs, the laser eyes following if one of the orbs missed. Raven went solo, which Jane anticipated. She and Terra seemed to be battling at the hip, using one another to deflect and attack.

            “Jane, can you trap Robin for me? I think what you did yesterday might help.”

            Nodding, Jane formed a barrier around Robin’s legs so he could become less mobile. Terra got him with a storm of rocks, but that made them vulnerable to Cyborg’s laser. In the nick of time, Starfire was there with a barrier of her own. Raven was able to lift Cyborg into the air with her powers, disarming the cannon and throwing him off to the side. Jane realized they were missing one. Beast Boy wasn’t visual.

            “It was a diversion!” she separated herself from the group, feeling a rumbling below her.

            The other girls, taking her hint, separated as well as a buffalo charged them from behind. They were all unscathed, but sadly, they were now also separated. Gritting her teeth, she watched as Robin was hurled into their group, aiming right for her. He actually took her little threat seriously, and she grinned.

            _Fine, Robin._

He attacked with punches right out of the gate. She used her powers around her to create barriers, quickly dissolving them so she could get another one back up. She ducked, but ducked right into his foot, sending her off kilter and opening her up for a punch to the gut.

            _Focus. You can’t go all out, not here. Not now._

With a smile, she straightened up and retreated backward, trying to create some distance. From what she could tell, Raven was on her way to back her up. Jane placed her hands on the ground and created hands, hands that grabbed his ankles and brought him down.

            “Hey, that’s not fair!” he shouted.

            “It’s plenty fair.” She kneeled down and flicked his nose. “Now _this_ …this isn’t going to be fair.”

            “Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” Raven screamed her incantation, her spells making impact on Robin’s body.

            Cyborg swooped down from above, getting the assistance from Beast Boy, but Terra saw them coming. She captured Cyborg in a rocky bubble, like a catcher’s mitt, and Starfire simply plucked Beast Boy from the sky with her laser eyes.

            “Well, look at that.” Terra said proudly. “Three boys are down for the count…I say we win.”

            “That was exactly it.” Cyborg was released onto the ground and brushed himself off. “It was 4 on 3, and you all have distance powers. Maybe we should mix it up a little bit, get a little of both on each team.”

            Jane helped Robin up. “WELL, that’s what I ORIGINALLY wanted to do…” she whistled a tune in innocence.

            “Somebody will have to sit out.” Terra brought up. “To make it an even 3 on 3.”

            “No nose goes!” Jane shouted, touching her index finger to her nose.

            Everybody except for Beast Boy was fast enough, and Jane was astonished to find that Starfire knew what ‘no nose goes’ meant. Finally, Jane was getting a true battle that she wanted. The teams were divided without Beast Boy, who would be the referee and decide when one team was down and unable to fight anymore. The Red Team was comprised of Robin, Starfire, and Jane. The Blue Team was comprised of Cyborg, Raven, and Terra. Jane was excited. This was something she truly wanted to do, but she couldn’t let her adrenaline get in the way.

            “Ready guys?!” Beast Boy called from the sideline.

            Both teams screamed in excitement.

            “All right! Ready…”

            Jane and Terra made eye contact.

            “Steady…”

            Robin told his team that they would come out victorious.

            “GOOOOOOOOOO!”

            The Red Team didn’t hesitate. Robin shouted for them to move out, and move out they did. Starfire bolted into the air over the Blue Team, who was attempting to go airborne themselves. Terra raised the ground she stood on into a short pillar, bending the earth into rock shrapnel that she was able to shoot as a weapon. Raven used the large, black hands she could summon to get Jane to fold like a lawn chair. Robin and Jane, side by side, ran forward with a plan in mind. Raven was able to snag Jane by the leg, but Robin continued forward. Jane, now ensnared in Raven’s powers, allowed her eyes to glow white. Her feet touching the ground was enough for a hand of her own to sprout out of the ground and hold Raven down as well. They were at a stalemate, as usual. Meanwhile, Terra saw the opportunity to strike with her rock shards, considering Jane was incapacitated at the moment. Robin stepped in and used his bo-staff to deflect the flurry, confident that Starfire and Cyborg were busy going at it. Raven and Jane were both shaking, keeping each other held in place. One of them had to give in sooner or later. She had to wait until the right moment, but for the sake of time, she decided to ease grip first. As she thought, when she did, Raven didn’t hesitate to dissipate the white hand and use her own to toss Jane away like a doll, but she wasn’t done. In the air, she clumsily saw Terra. Rolling on the ground, she felt what was below her begin to crumble. She had scarce time. As fast as she could, she got to her feet, tripped in the process, and sprinted at a wide angle in attempt to outrun the crumbling earth behind her. She didn’t have much to worry about, since not much damage could be done in training, but it was better safe than sorry. Robin was striking at Raven, which gave her a wonderful opportunity. On the distasteful side, however, Terra had another flurry of sharpened rocks ready for assault.

            _It’s a tornado. The middle is completely exposed!_

Rocks from below sprang upward as spikes in attempts to slow her down, but she was able to dodge them without tripping, although she did cut her shin in the process. Seeing her perfect opening, she dove through the middle of Terra’s squall of shards and allowed her body to turn like a corkscrew, right hand glowing, outstretched. The shards cut her body as Terra allowed them to make impact, and Jane had a cure for that, but that would prove something too strong of her to do. Just as Jane thought she had the perfect shot, she saw Terra duck, and she was met with the blinding blue light of one of Cyborg’s arm cannons.

            “FUCK!” she screamed.

            A sloppily concentrated barrier formed partially around her, but it was too weak. The blast from the cannon shot Jane through the flurry of rocks and out into the open battlefield, only to be stopped by a smooth, green barrier. Disoriented from the blast, it took her a second to process that Starfire had caught her. Robin, soon after, was incapacitated thanks to Raven. Jane slid off of the barrier, ready to fight, but Beast Boy called it.

            “What?!” she shouted.

            “It’s all done! You were down, Starfire was done, and Robin is kaput! The Blue Team wins!”

            _Calm down. Listen to your heart, it’s beating too fast. Don’t let the adrenaline get to you._ “Shit, that was fast.” She turned and helped Robin up. “I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t sweat it. It’s training, remember?”

            “Yes, Red Team! It is done!” Starfire had hovered over excitedly.

            “Uh. Starfire, you do know that we lost, right?” Jane smiled.

            “There is still time for congratulation!” she beamed and joined the Blue Team.

            “Well, uh, okay.” Jane blinked.

            “That was a good fight, Jane.” Robin said.

            They started to walk over to the others. “Yea?” she asked.

            “I’m serious. I saw the confidence come back. The confidence that let you fight in the first place, the confidence that brought you to us. I’m glad.”

            “Well shucks, let me just break out the champagne and we can all get wasted. The events that would play out are as follows; I don’t drink, Starfire and Beast Boy set stuff on fire, Raven might cry, Terra _would_ cry, you won’t leave me alone, and Cyborg would follow you all night asking to arm wrestle. Am I right? I think I’m right.”

            “Jane, I’m serious. I’m happy to see you back. After Slade, I thought he had scared the individuality right out of you. Now come on, we have some ‘celebrating’ to do with the Blue Team.”

            “We’re not actually getting wasted, right?”

            “NO!” Robin laughed. 

_Way to glaze right over the big picture of your appraisal. Why do I get the feeling he’s going to want to talk to me later?_

As the whole group of them got together and talked about the fight, they all conglomerated in the elevator to make their trek back downstairs to the living room. Jane had something itching at her. Even worse, BITING at her. She lost. Despite the fact she knew she had to hold back for the sake of the plan, she still felt like shit. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. There were so many different things she should have done. Her face was red, like she was meant to be ashamed of herself, but nobody was even acknowledging her presence. The little angel in her eardrum gave her the answer she was avoiding.

            _“You hate to lose. You hate it to the extent of hating yourself.”_

**Living Room, Night**

The day progressed without any problems. It seemed that she was getting along with the other Titans just fine, and she even got Raven to smile once. It was very brief, but it was once. Cyborg and her played cards, and it was soothing for once. They were both awful at “Go-Fish”, but it was totally okay. Starfire meditated with Raven, a sight Jane thought she would never see again. Robin was nowhere to be found, which was concerning to her. Terra stayed around, reading on the couch again, while Beast Boy was a pest and asking her a flurry of questions about what she was reading.

            “Jane? Are you paying attention?” Cyborg waved his hand in front of her face.

            “Sorry, what?”

            “I said, do you have any 6’s?”

            “Shit, yea.” She slid him one.

            As the game continued, they found that their pool of cards was getting smaller and smaller.

            “Uh. I don’t think we’re playing this right.” Jane smiled.

            “DOESN’T MATTER CAUSE I WIN!” he threw all of his cards at her and stood up.

            “I have been defeated…” she slumped over onto the table, pretending to drown in the cards. “Blub blub…”

            He gave Beast Boy a high-five and the both of them started playing video games. Jane sighed and picked up the cards that scattered everywhere. She was beginning to realize that there wasn’t much to do in leisure time. It was all repetitive, every single day. They would train, eat, and then goof off. There wasn’t even a monster in the city, which was a little fishy. Without much of a word, she decided to dismiss herself from the living room. If she couldn’t bear to engage in mindless activities, she believed it was time to use her powers for research. On a steady pace to her room, she began the link. Healing element off, concentration strong, she searched for that link. John.

            _“_ Come on, John. I know you can hear me.”

Swiftly, she entered her bedroom and shut the door behind her. No response. She had to lower her voice.

            “John. Don’t ignore me. I know last time we were cut off, but please…”

Suddenly, her link was caught. Just like last time, she was unable to retreat out of whoever’s mind she actually connected with. Eyes closed, she was seeing red.

            _“Well, well, well, it seems I have an admirer.”_ It was that man’s voice again. _“You’re not very bright, are you?”_

“Listen, asshole.” She spoke aloud. “Where is John?”

            _“John’s a little busy at the moment. But don’t worry, he isn’t harmed, if that’s what you’re concerned about, which, surprise, you are.”_

“Where. Is. He?” she repeated more seriously.

            There was a pause. _“Something’s different about you.”_

“Don’t ignore the question.”

            _“You aren’t panicking like you did last time. In fact, you have a more firm hold on the connection than before. Have you been practicing? Aw, just for me, too? I’m flattered.”_

She decided to recollect herself.

            “You say John is safe?”

            _“Yes. Perfectly healthy and more.”_

“You’re not going to tell me where he is, you sadistic fruit loop?”

            _“Why does EVERYBODY call me that? I’m not a ‘fruit loop’, I am a completely….well. Regular adult? I suppose. But anyway, dear, I don’t have a lot of time for chit chat. However…I hope I get a chance to see you soon. You’re a rather riveting child. Ta-ta.”_

He broke the connection. It wasn’t as painful as last time, not by a long shot, but it still sent her to the floor to catch her breath. It took her a moment for her eyes to focus, for her to understand where she was. It also took her a second to understand that she had been talking out loud.

           

**Slade**

“What is she doing?” he asked himself aloud.

            Looking at the monitor, he could see the wavelengths of the sound she was experiencing. He also had direct access to her vital signs, to track progress and see how she operated when using her powers. Another added bonus, he could hear everything that was being said at all times. Of course, when he decided to listen in. At this point, it sounded as if she had left their main living area and gone off on her own. He looked up at the monitor from the chair he sat in, curious.

            _“Come on John, I know you can hear me.”_

            “John?” he stood up from reading and walked to the screen.

            She wasn’t asleep, which ruled out sleep talking, and it appeared that her heart rate was slowly elevating.

            _“John. Don’t ignore me. I know last time we were cut off, but please…”_

“Who the hell is she talking to?” he asked out loud. “What does she mean, ‘last time’?”

            His finger hovered over the ‘talk’ button on his expansive keyboard, but he decided to wait before saying anything. Instead, he searched his mind for the name “John”, and how that could have any meaning to either of them.

_“Listen, asshole. Where is John?”_

“Apprentice, who are you talking to?” he finally spoke to her through the earpiece.

            _She better not be talking to me._

            Her heart rate blast off like a rocket. Activity in her brain was spiking, but her breathing remained perfectly normal. If anything, it was slower. What got on his nerves was her lack of response.

            _“Where. Is. He?”_ she spoke more seriously.

            Whoever she was talking to, he couldn’t hear them. After an extra moment of thought, that was the point. There was nobody with her.

            “Apprentice. Who are you talking to? I’m not going to ask again.”

            _“Don’t ignore the question.”_

“God dammit.” He took his finger off of the button. “She can’t hear me. Either that, or she’s _ignoring_ me.”

            _“You say John is safe?”_ her voice sounded calmer.

            While evaluating her vitals, he realized that she was most definitely using her powers. For what, he had a feeling. Who John was, he had no clue. The level of tolerance was going down, and he needed to know who his apprentice was contacting without his permission.

            _“You’re not going to tell me where he is, you sadistic fruit loop?”_

“Fruit loop?” he repeated. Pressing the button again, he began to shout. “Apprentice! Who are you contacting?!”

            No response. Suddenly, Jane’s heart rate dropped below normal and her breathing heightened, as if she were being suffocated. After thirty seconds, it all began to settle out. However, she still wasn’t responsive.

            “APPRENTICE!”

            _“OH.”_

Pleased he finally got an answer, that form of aggravation went away. However, he was still angry.

            “’Oh’? That’s all you have to say for yourself? ‘Oh’?!” he asked angrily.

            She was whispering. _“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I didn’t know…how long did…were…uh…”_

“Stop stammering and explain.”

            _“I—”_

“NOW.”

            _“I was using my telepathy in order to track down my friend.”_

“I wasn’t aware you HAD any friends.” He pondered. “You kept this information from me?”

            _“First of all, ouch. Second of all, it never really came up. I thought you knew about everybody from the orphanage. I’m sorry, were you trying to talk to me that entire time?”_

“Yes.”

            _“I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear you through that conversation.”_

“Who did you end up contacting? From my end, I gathered you didn’t connect with your friend.”

            _“You’re right. I didn’t. I got somebody else, somebody I’ve heard before.”_

“What do they sound like?” he was being remarkably patient.

            _“I know it was a man. His voice was…well…I don’t have any other descriptor besides ‘pretentious’. He’s also a pretty big asshole, he almost killed me last time. I know he has my friend, he knows where he is and he won’t tell me. I’m sorry, I didn’t think this was important.”_

Slade took a second to process what she told him. “Anything that stood out about his speech pattern? What did he address you as?”

            _“Well, he called me ‘dear’, he told me I was a ‘riveting child’, and he said ‘ta-ta’ at the end of his last sentence.”_ she paused. _“Master, do you know this man?”_

“This conversation is over. Don’t let your personal motives get in the way of our plan. I’m going to look into this, but for now, do not stray from your assignment. Do you understand?”

            _“Yes, master.”_

He didn’t say any more. Walking over to his table full of files, he had the urge to search out the one he knew she must have been referencing. An anomaly.

            “Interesting.”

 

**Jane**

She had been peeking out of her door and down the hallway for the last several minutes, making sure her conversation wouldn’t be overheard. Finally, when he was finished talking, she closed her door and sat on her bed with a sigh. It was no good, there was no way she was getting anything on John until this mission was over. A knock at her door didn’t allow her to focus for long, causing her to stand and act natural.

            “Who is it?” she asked.

            “Robin.”

            _Who else would it be?_

“Can I come in, Jane?”

            “Uh, sure?” she rose an eyebrow, checking herself for any bloody noses, even though she didn’t feel one.

            He entered with a smile on his face. That was either good or bad.

            “What do you need, man?” she asked nonchalantly.

            “I uh…wanted to talk to you.”

            _Oh GOD._

“What’s poppin’?” she crossed her arms.

            “Can we sit?”

            She sat on her bed. “Sitting.”

            When he sat next to her, she cleared her throat, but he didn’t get the hint. He seemed to be searching for sentences.

            “I’m happy to see that you have your confidence back, Jane.” He started. “When you were in battle today, you looked the same way as you did when you first harnessed your powers. As your friend, it makes me glad. All I want to know is…are you sure you’re back to normal?”

            “I am, I don’t know what I have to do to prove that to you guys…I swear, I’m perfectly healthy. I want to train, I want to help…I guess I’m just in a slump about John.” She shrugged.

            “Is that what you were doing in here? Trying to contact him again?”

            “Yea…I was.”

            “No nosebleed though.” He tapped the space between her upper lip and her nose with his index finger. “That’s good to see.”

            When he touched her face like that, her face scrunched up because she wasn’t expecting it. It made him laugh, but she wasn’t laughing.

            “Well, honestly, it’s really great to hear.”

            “Robin,” she started. “You always check on me and you always say stuff like that. Why? I’m clearly okay, I don’t need to be checked on all the time. And you’re the only one who does check up on me like this. If it’s guilt from exposing me to Slade, then it needs to stop—”

            “I was scared that he abducting you changed you!” he suddenly grabbed her wrists, which made her eyes widen. “I thought he took away your individuality, your confidence, everything that makes you…you!”

            “Just like Terra?” she asked a little harshly. “You think I’m going to turn my back on you? On my friends? The friends that saved my life, took me in, fed me, made me one of them, and helped lure out my powers?! You actually THINK that I’m going to turn my back on you?!”

            “Jane, no…I…” he gulped. “I was afraid that you would be too afraid to be yourself again. That you would be…I don’t know, too scared to fight with us? You were terrified. You told us that when you woke up. Jane, I exposed you to this. We all did. But it’s my fault if you aren’t feeling okay.”

            “What brought this on? I was having a perfectly okay night, and now I’m being bombarded with the feels.” She was a little calmer. “I’m not some scared little girl, Robin. This guilt that you have, it’s changing you. It’s effecting you negatively, I can feel it from a mile away. Drop it. I’m not angry, and I’m not turning my back on you.” She tried pulling her wrists away, but he still held them. “I’m sorry if my negativity, or my tiredness, or anything that would point to a slump, put you in this position. Please, just stop treating me like a baby or a damsel in distress.”

            “You promise?”

            “Yes.” She looked at her wrists. “Now please let go of me…please.”

            He did. “I’m sorry…”

            “Cut it out.” She slapped his arm. “I know you’re just looking out for me. But don’t be weird about it. Can you smile, instead?” she gave a big toothy grin, which was very exaggerated for the purposes of comedy. “You see, a smile indicates—”

            He hugged her.

            “That’s not a smile.” She hesitantly returned it.

            “Now I’m going to ask you to forgive me for being weird.” He said, a little more cheery.

            “Well, I dunno.” She said sarcastically. “You were being pre-tty weird…”

            He let go and looked at her.

            _Stopstopstopstopstopstopstop._

Thinking she knew what was about to happen next, she yawned and stretched. Yawning was of course contagious, so he yawned too.

            “I’ll leave you alone now.” He got up. “And Jane?”

            “Yea?”

            “This conversation never happened.” He winked at her and quietly left.

            Blinking, she whispered aloud, “I hate everything.”

 

**About 2:14 a.m.**

Her brain refused to let her fall asleep. All night she had been tossing and turning, unsure of what to do.

            _Should I tell him that happened? On a scale of 1 to 10, how fucking pissed would he be?_

Lying on her back now, she let out a long sigh.

            “You wouldn’t happen to be awake right now, would you?” she whispered.

            No response.

            “Of course not.” She sighed.

            Her loss bugged her. Her clumsy fighting bugged her. Although she KNEW that she was holding back, she was terrified of becoming stagnant. She rose her hands and looked at them, clenching her fists a few times to make them glow. Something made her let out a small laugh.

            “I’ll never be able to talk to myself again, will I?” she whispered. “There’s always going to be someone listening to me.” She pondered that for a minute. “Well, maybe that isn’t so bad.”

            With a nod, she sat up and got changed. Her hair went up in a tight ponytail, she donned a black t-shirt and a pair of navy jogging shorts. Her converse would have to do, they were, of course, her most comfortable shoe. Slowly and quietly, she opened her door and closed it behind her. She had two goals; both would be difficult without being seen by the cameras. A mental map of the tower would become useful, but there were cameras littered everywhere. As a plan B, she decided to head to the training room that Robin fought her in. It was a big space, and surely there had to be moving targets somewhere. If not, she would have to make do. On the way, she looked as nonchalant as possible, looking out for every single camera, maybe making faces into them if it seemed she was too obvious at looking right at them. As she entered the elevator, she took a deep breath. There had to be way to deactivate the cameras. She assumed that there was a breaker switch, and if she turned it off, the cameras would become destabilized. When the doors opened to the training room, it was dark and nobody was there. Flipping the light switch filled the room with light, light that clashed with the moonlight that was attempting to flood in. She took a quick look-see around the room, and there appeared to be different panels that she could choose from. One panel had swords and weapons, while another had pre-sets for the machines she used the one night. Frustratingly, there was no sign of moving targets. All that she could use was the dummy in the middle of the room, placed atop a tumbling mat.

            _That’s just great, what am I supposed to do with this?_

“John, don’t kill me…” she whispered.

            She stood across from the dummy’s front. It looked a bit, crudely, like Slade. Perhaps all she had to do was pretend, envision him fighting her. Closing her eyes, she focused, thinking about the last battle she had with Slade. What she was about to attempt took an ass-load of power, and she was prepared for her body’s consequences. When she opened them, there he was. Except, only she could see him, and it was a faux version, like a rewound tape, of his fighting with her. Sweat already began to drip down her face as she kept the illusion stable for the first thirty seconds.

            _“Are you ready?”_ the illusion asked.

            She blinked once, the only nonverbal and non-obvious physical response she could give.

            The illusion of him ran forward with alarming speed, and she was ready. He went for a kick to the chest, one that she side-stepped for and rose her arms over her face to block his incoming punch. Astonishingly, the illusion was more solid than she thought, but nowhere near like the real thing. Sweat soaked her hair, which was quite disgusting, as she kept the illusion going. A punch to her left cheek, then to her right. She was prepared for the left, but _not_ the right.

            _You’re leaving gaps. Come on, this should be the same pattern, you should know!_

This time she ducked forward and jabbed at his gut while he went for another punch to her left side. It threw his cycle off, and she saw his right knee coming up to penetrate her ribs. Swerving to her right, she grabbed his arm and tried to throw him down, but he wasn’t going to have it. Her ponytail was grabbed in the process and she was pulled down before she was able to apply force at all. Rolling backwards and head first, she was able to stand and look him in the eye. She was trying her hardest to not use additional help from her powers. Light on her feet, she had her fists up, like a boxer. She ran and jumped, and when he grabbed her leg in attempt to throw her again, she forced her body weight downward, elbows propped out, so she could jab his middle again. That caused him to let her go so she could drop to her stomach, quickly rolling to the left before his boot had clean contact with her mouth. She got to her feet, but failed at blocking his elbow to the throat, a move which he hadn’t used on her before. Grabbing her throat and gasping, she was made open to a final kick to the stomach, which made her fall onto the ground. The illusion placed his foot on her, signaling that the fight was over.

            _“Good recovery.”_ He nodded.

            Blinking twice, she closed her eyes. She was ready. The illusion disappeared and the power returned to her body, which had a negative reaction to what she had just done. She would have fifteen seconds to locate a bathroom before her stomach completely drained. Standing clumsily, she covered her mouth, eyes darting around. There it was, at the very end of the room. Sprinting there, she felt her breathing start to falter next. It was harder and harder to create breaths, very similar to having an asthma attack. Ramming into the door, she found the toilet in just the nick of time.

            _John isn’t here to save you this time. Breathe, concentrate, stay awake._

The method behind that power was too difficult to use on a regular basis. It involved a large quantity of her power to keep an illusion like that going. There was a difference in keeping it active for a demonstration for about five seconds and _actually fighting it_ for over ten minutes. Her body would begin to break itself down for energy. Once the energy returned to her body, she would have to practically reboot herself. The stomach would react first, which is what she already went through. The lungs were next, which is what she also was experiencing. Her body was a physical counter-production, the more energy that returned to her body, the more freaked out it became. It helped with somebody there to keep her awake, so her brain wouldn’t confuse itself entirely. She grew more and more tired by the second, and she decided to get to her feet.

            “Okay, okay…” she wheezed. “Okay…maybe you are an idiot…Jane…” she wheezed again.

            Walking back out into the training room, she paced clumsily back and forth.

            “They’re gonna see me…fighting nobody…on the camera footage…” her knees buckled, a sign that her muscles were weakening. “FUCK.”

            She couldn’t do this alone, she needed to wake somebody up. Get to the elevator. But who was the closest? In attempt to reach Slade, she almost opened her mouth to address him, but she saw the camera.

            “Robin it is…” she forced herself upright, but it burned. “AAAUUGH!”

            Making her way to the elevator, she cursed herself for being such an idiot. She basically punched the button to go down, and she needed an inhaler. However, how was she going to explain this? To ANYONE?

            “Think, think, think…” she held herself up against the wall. “Don’t panic…don’t panic…”

            The elevator doors slid open, and she nearly tripped over her own foot, making itself dead-weight. Finally, she reached Robin’s door and knocked as lightly as she could. The door opened alarmingly fast.

            “Jane, what—” he looked at her. “JANE—”

            Clasping her hand over his mouth, she stumbled in and closed the door.

            “DON’T…SCREAM…” she threatened, uncovering his mouth.

            “What happened?!” he whisper-shouted.

            “You need to…” she wheezed. “…keep me awake.” She tried to stand up straight, legs wobbling.

            “You’re soaked in sweat and you can’t breathe!”

            “Robin, you gotta listen—”

            “It was your powers, wasn’t it?!”

            She fell onto the floor, which surprised even her. Robin scrambled to her like a babbling idiot.

            _Slade’s gonna kill me._

“I used my powers…it was too much…and now my body…is rebooting itself…to put it simply…”

            “What do I need to do?” he kneeled down to help her up.

            “No…I can’t stand until…this is done…” she felt her muscle weakness ascending. “You need to…keep me awake…”

            “What’s happening to you?” he at least rolled her onto her back. “What were you doing?”

            “I couldn’t sleep…” she explained. “So I…decided to train…upstairs…” she closed her eyes, pain starting to set into the failing muscles. “I uh…created a type of…illusion…to fight by myself…”

            “An illusion? What do you mean?”

            “I create…an illusory image…of somebody…which is completely malleable…and can be hit…and can hit me back…but only I…can see it.”

            _My chest is killing me. If it reaches my heart, it’s gonna really hurt._

“You can do that?” Robin sounded shocked.

            “This was only…my second time…” she suddenly felt very heavy.

            He smacked her, noticing a suddenly sluggish attitude. “What if I can’t keep you awake?!”

            “I don’t know…” she said, truthfully. “But keep me talking…keep me…”

            “Alright, alright! Uh, why is your body doing this?”

            “Imagine…creating another human being…that you can hit…can be hit by…and can keep ‘alive’ with your brain…”

            “It must be a power overload…” he whispered. “When all that energy gets back into your body…”

            “It’s like…a reverse ‘out of body experience’…the longer the illusion stays manifested…the faster my body eats itself…to keep it going…”

            “So that’s why you’re covered in sweat.”

             She wasn’t able to respond due to the fact she completely missed what he said.

            “Jane, when was the first time you did this?” he sat down and watched her.

            “Orphanage…” was all she could squeak out.

            Grinding his teeth, he bolted right back up. “I’m getting you meds. And an inhaler. Stay awake until I get back!”

            Her eyes widened. Shaking her head wouldn’t stop him, and she was afraid she would be toast before he would make it out the door.

            “I’ll be back!” he left, aggressive yet quiet.

            Her heartbeat was all that she could hear.

            “I’m sorry…I fucked up, I fucked up real bad…” she gasped. “I’m a fucking idiot…I fucked up…” she gasped again.

            No response.

            Her eyes widened. She knew he heard everything. She knew he was monitoring her in some way, and hell, he could have been watching her. Seconds felt like hours. There was only a matter of time until she would start to black out, either from pain or from her brain saying “I think it’s naptime”. Finally, Robin came back in with a first-aid kit filled with different things, along with an inhaler.

            “Good, you’re awake.” He handed her the inhaler.

            The inhaler definitely helped her breathing, but her chest was still on fire.

            “How are you doing?” he sat down.

            “I’m tired…”

            “Keep going. Tell me how you first did this.”

            “I was in the orphanage…and John and I were planning on sneaking out. I tried making a duplicate of one of us…in order to have more people for the job. It backfired. John was there…he kept me awake through the whole thing. I bled, I vomited, I couldn’t breathe…that went on for twenty minutes…eventually, my heart stopped and he had to get one of the doctors…” she closed her eyes from the pain that shrouded her chest. “I almost died. John made me swear I would never do it again…but uh…I thought I was strong enough to do it this time…” she gulped. “I never wanted people to know I could do this…”

            He nodded and squeezed her shoulder. “Why did you do this to yourself?”

            “I thought—”

            Suddenly, she couldn’t inhale. Her body was on course, the heart was next. She flailed her arms on the ground as she felt like Cinderblock was sitting right on top of her, and even worse, she started seeing black. Robin started to panic, digging around in the first aid kit. He found the syringe he was looking for and jabbed her in the chest with it.

            “Jane?!”

            After a minute of silence and shaking hands, he saw the color come back, her gasping and blinking frantically.

            “Are you alright?!” he patted her down as if she was broken in half.

            “Robin, you need to listen to me…very carefully…”

            “What?!”

            “Don’t let anyone else see this. Erase the security footage…from the training room…it looks like I’m just fighting the air…you can tell NO ONE…do you understand?!”

            He nodded. “I didn’t think you were capable of something like that…”

            _Please don’t say that, PLEASE don’t say that…_   

            He propped her up against the wall and sat next to her. “Who did you create an image of to fight?” he asked.

            “Myself.” She lied. “It’s easiest to predict…my own sloppy fighting…”

            “You need to rest.”

            “ _You_ need to rest.” She threw right back. “I’m the one who woke you…now go to bed…”

            He just looked at her for a long time. “Why did you keep your power a secret?”

            She felt all of her insides scrunch up from panic. “What…?”

            “If you’re capable of this…what else are you capable of?”

            _NO, NO, NO! NO! I FUCKED UP THE PLAN, NO, NO!!!!_

“Robin, I didn’t…I thought this would be easy…” she sounded ready to cry. “I thought I could do it by myself…obviously, I can’t…I’m sorry, I just…I don’t know what to say…!”

            “Hey.” He sounded surprised. “I’m not mad at you, I’m excited for you! Hey, c’mon, don’t cry…”

            “I’m not…” she closed her eyes. “I’m just tired…and afraid…”

            “Afraid of what?” he shook her shoulders to keep her awake.

            “Being looked at like a freak…” she yawned.

            “Hey! Hey, you said not to let you fall asleep!” he opened her eyes with his fingers.

            “I can breathe again…and my chest doesn’t hurt anymore…” she swallowed. “I think I’m okay…”

            “Hey, Jane? Can you open your eyes? Are you okay?”

            She opened one and gave a tired smile. “This conversation never happened.”

            _All I can do now is cover up my mistake. If I gave myself away, it’s all over._

**Recon Day 4**

At some point, Jane awoke in Robin’s room, against the wall. That was something she wished she never had to experience. Her head hurt. When she looked around the room, he was nowhere to be found. Standing wasn’t difficult at all, which was surprising to her. It appeared that her breathing was back to normal, which was great news. She took this opportunity to realize that Robin kept his room extraordinarily dark. She clenched her fists a few times to make sure her finer motor skills weren’t effected, which they weren’t. With a deep breath, she went to open the door, but it did before she could do anything. A hint of panic went across her mind, thinking that another Titan was going to come in looking for Robin, but would get the completely wrong idea. Thankfully, it was the dude himself, looking equally as shocked.

            “You’re awake!” he pushed her back inside.

            “Yea!” she nearly tripped. “Uh, good morning? I think? What time is it?”

            “Seven, you weren’t asleep for too long. I erased the security footage, just like you said… Are you okay?”

            “Thank you for doing that.” She gave him a thumbs up. “And yea, there doesn’t seem to be any damage.” When she saw his smile, she didn’t want to admit what she had to. “You probably saved my life, Robin. Thanks.”

            “No problem. If you ever do that again though, I’ll be pretty angry.”

            “How angry is that?” she laughed.

            “FURIOUS.” He laughed too.

            After thanking him again, she made her way past him to leave, and surprisingly, he didn’t hold her back. The door shut behind her and she made her way back to her own room so she could get changed. Once she was in the privacy of her own room, however, she leaned against the door and slowly sunk to the floor, eyes wide and face flushed.

            _I fucked up._

She stared at the window, thinking he would appear any moment to deal some sort of punishment.

            _I was reckless. I thought I could use such an insane power for something so trivial._

Her hands shook and she buried her face into her knees.

            _Robin knows that there’s more power than I’m letting on._

Eyes narrowed, she rose her head again.

            _I need to make sure he actually erased those tapes._

Knocking at the door interrupted her thought process. Standing, she realized that she still hadn’t gotten changed.

            “Who is it?” she scrambled up and looked for clean clothing.

            Oddly, there wasn’t a response, but another knock. In the middle of changing her shirt, whoever it was knocked _again_.

            “Hold on a second, I’m getting changed.”

            “It’s Cyborg.”

            “That doesn’t change the fact that I’m _changing_.” She put her jeans on.

            When she was finally presentable, brushed hair and everything, she opened the door to his concerned expression.

            “What is it?”

            “John’s on the radar.”

            Pushing past him, she ran to the living room in order to look at the gigantic television to see a red dot blinking. Cyborg was close behind her. Starfire and Beast Boy were already around the monitor, most likely waiting for her.

            “Are you sure that’s him?” exasperation in her voice.

            “Positive.” He zoomed in on the location. “Just on the outskirts of the city, it doesn’t seem to be moving.”

            Pacing seemed to be the only good thing to do in this situation. John was out there, he was on their radar. Robin, Raven, and Terra jogged in as well. Cyborg must have informed them all, besides, this was pretty big for her to find out.

            “What are we waiting for?” she asked, struggling between happiness and panic. “You said he’s not changing position, maybe he’s just waiting for us!”

            They all exchanged glances.

            “What? What is it?”

            Before any of them could object, the dot started blinking and labeling distance, which signaled he was moving. A smile spread across her face, and the Titans changed their expressions dramatically.          

            “You all must have thought it was a misunderstanding. Am I right?” she didn’t wait for a response. “There he is! There he is!” she started jumping up and down in excitement.

            “Okay, calm down Jane.” Beast Boy said, laughing.

            “Okay, team. Who’s ready to retrieve John?” Robin asked.

            Hands shot up, and in Raven’s case, it rose slowly.

            “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” with each ‘thank you’, she hugged somebody different, tears welling in her eyes. “I knew he would be okay!”

            Her immense excitement was interrupted by the alarm. Her eyes widened and her smile died, imploding into a horrified, agape expression.

            “What is that? There’s an attack _now_?!”

            Three dots surrounded John’s, his dot retreating slightly. It was clear that those three individuals were most likely after him.

            “Titans, we have to secure those three and rescue John! Does everybody understand?”

            Cyborg screamed “booyah”, Beast Boy fist-bumped him, Terra and Starfire cheered at equal frequencies, and Raven looked at Jane, giving her a small smile.

            “Thank you…all of you…” she smiled.

            “TITANS, MOVE!”

            Like a whip was cracked, they all sprinted out of the room. There was no time for sarcastic remarks, there was no time for too many smiles, this was the chance she was looking for. They were going to rescue John.

            _Then when Slade comes back for me, maybe we can arrange something. Maybe John can live a great life, being protected under Slade’s power, or something like that! All I know is that we can do something. John and I don’t have to worry about each other anymore, it’s all going to be okay!_

When they reached the outside, they saw the torched remains of what Slade decimated of the city. Starfire rose into the air, carrying Robin by his underarms. Beast Boy of course transformed, taking Cyborg with him in his pterodactyl claws. Raven went by herself, leaving Jane to ride with Terra on her usual gigantic floating rock.

            “Cyborg, what direction is John in?!” Jane shouted over to him.

            He awkwardly checked his arm. “Keep northeast! He’s there!”

            _We’re gonna get there in time. John, we’re coming!_

Oddly, they were headed straight for a destroyed section of the city. Below them, they could hear screaming. Jane peered down over the edge of their boulder to see three individuals, those who definitely stood out from the rest.

            “We’ve got trouble!” Terra shouted.

            “I don’t see John!” Jane looked around frantically.

            “We gotta take out these baddies before we can find our pal.” Cyborg punched his palm. “BB, DROP ME!”

            Cyborg dropped on top of their opponents with a scream, using his arm cannons at the largest one there; a fellow with obnoxious muscle size and a brown goatee. He smiled like an idiot the whole time. Beast Boy swooped down next to back him up. With the gigantic man there were two others, but they were much faster and smaller.

            “I’m going in, too!” Jane shouted, diving off of the boulder before she could be stopped.

            Mid-dive, she allowed her eyes to glow. There was a girl with pink hair and pink eyes. She looked up too late, Jane was able to grab her shoulders, pull her own body down into a roll, and throw her into the opposite direction using the momentum from her plummet. Breathing hard, she received a few astonished looks from her teammates. The girl’s body ended up colliding with an already damaged building. Robin was finally down, assisting his other male teammates take out the giant. While she looked around for the third one, she heard her earpiece.

            _“Apprentice—”_

            “Tehehehehe, this girl’s goin’ down!” she heard from above her.

            When she looked up, there was a bald pipsqueak in a harness that sprouted helicopter rotors, allowing him to fly around freely. With said harness came rocket launchers.

            “Bye bye!” he clicked a button.

            Rockets flew forward, Jane throwing up a shield just in time to defend herself. Starfire came to the rescue, knocking the boy out of the air with a scream. Terra was assisting the other _three_ teammates with securing that _one_ foe. The girl from earlier appeared to be doing combat with Raven, and surprisingly, Raven looked to be having a bit of trouble. The girl seemed to be able to manipulate the environment around her foe, using pink energy waves to assist her.

            _“Engage.”_

Creating a barrier around the girl’s feet created an opening for Raven. With the two of them having similar powers, they were able to piggyback off of each other. Raven had her spells, propelling debris at their opponent, but the girl seemed to cause bad luck. Each time Raven got close enough, something slipped up by just a little bit, causing her attack to miss. Jane used a hand to grab the girl, which she wasn’t expecting. Her eyes glowed pink, enabling her to dispel waves of pink energy off of her, causing Jane and Raven both to go flying in opposite directions. Shaking her head, she got to her feet and prepared to engage again, but somebody’s whistling threw her off.

            “Mammoth! Jinx! Gizmo!” a male voice shouted. “Get back to your objective. Leave these Titans be.”

            The giant one threw her teammates off and ran into the inner parts of the city. The girl and pipsqueak were able to slip away as well.

            “Beast Boy, Raven, go after them!” Robin shouted. “Cyborg, can you handle Mammoth?!”

            “Way ahead of you!” Cyborg was running already.

            Slow clapping started from behind her. “What a wonderful battle!”

            _I know that voice…_

She turned slowly with wide eyes.

            “Of course, I didn’t expect you all to get flustered so quickly.”

            “No…”

            A boy with fluffy brunette hair, no-longer-gauged ears, and what appeared to be a flexible, robotic suit hovered high in the air in front of her. He was smiling.

            “No…” Jane shook her head. “No…that’s impossible…”

            _“Apprentice, what are you doing?”_

John’s eyes began glowing red. Sticking his arms out, he seemed to aim at random, red energy blasts being shot, which she herself assumed to be telekinetic. Robin deflected the blasts easily, and Starfire threw her own green energy blasts back, which John deflected with the flick of a wrist.

            “What is this…? No…” she backed up as he hovered closer.

            He finally made eye contact with her. “Oh, hey Jane.” He winked. “Guess you’re not the only one with powers anymore.”

            _“APPRENTICE!”_ he screamed so loudly that there was static. _“I told you to ATTACK!”_

“I…I can’t…!” she shook her head and cupped her hands over her mouth. “JOHN!”

            Robin, Starfire, and Terra all stopped what they were doing and stared at her in amazement. John used the opportunity to charge another blast.

            “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!” she couldn’t attack back.

            John didn’t answer. He shot a large red blast into the city, causing an explosion. The Titans all turned around to inspect the blast cloud, where the other half of the team had gone. As he was charging another, he was stopped.

            “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” another familiar voice shouted, getting the attention of the Titans, “A _STAR_ IS BORN!”

            A man, walking on air next to John, made himself known. The white and yellow robe he wore was also familiar. Jane went pale, she _knew_ who this man was, but not by name.

            “ _I’m giving you one last—”_ he stopped. _“You’ve got to be kidding me.”_

“You…what did you do…?” her voice cracked, as if she witnessed something terrible. “What did you do to him?!” she screamed.

            “Jane, Jane, calm down.” The mysterious man with the cheeky smile told her. “I never thought you could regress to becoming so panic-stricken.”

            Robin shouted something, but Jane didn’t hear him. She walked forward, slowly.

            “YOU’RE HURTING PEOPLE!” she screamed. “HOW?! HOW DO YOU HAVE POWERS?!”

            “Why, my dear, I gave them to him! Isn’t that obvious?” the man teased. “He likes them! Don’t you, John?”

            John laughed happily. “I can _fly_ now, dude. I can do some REALLY cool shit. Just like you used to do.” His tone turned dark. “Like I always told you not to.”

            “John—”

            A different type of explosion went off in her near vicinity, blowing her to the right side, into a pile of rubble. Terra screamed at her, it seemed, but Jane couldn’t focus on that right now. When she looked up, she saw the fire. _He_ was facing her.

            “I see we had similar plans.” Slade wasn’t talking to her OR the Titans.

            “Slade.” The man addressed. “What an unpleasant surprise.” He smiled anyway.

            John began charging something. Jane got up and did her best to look absolutely mortified, and she was doing rather well at it because she already was. Her three remaining teammates all attempted to attack him, but he blew them all away while walking in her direction.

            “You.” He glared right at her.

            She was genuinely shaking.

            “YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!” Robin screamed, attacking him head on.

            John blasted the energy beam he had been charging, and all Slade had to do was backbend in order to dodge it, the blast hitting Robin instead. He talked as he stood back up.

            “You thought you could run away? To your little friends?”

            Jane tried running away in the direction of the Titans, but her long hair became a nuisance in the sense of being grabbed. He grabbed a large wad of it and slammed her onto her back, foot crushing her neck before she could get up. She felt the air being pressed out of her lungs.

            “Never again.”

            She couldn’t help but cry. There was so much going on at one time, she couldn’t handle it. Starfire and Terra couldn’t do anything, Slade was much too strong. Grabbing her throat, he held her up as high as he could get her to go. The Titans scrambled to their feet.

            “I’m sorry to inform you, Titans.” Slade only squeezed her throat tighter. This wasn’t acting anymore. “But you will never be seeing your friend again.”

            He dashed back the way he came, the Titans screaming and making chase. John made aim at Slade’s retreating body, but Blood stopped him.

            “Wait. There’s a change of plans.” He looked at the Titans, and then at John. “Round up the students. We’re going back.”


	8. An Out Of Body Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Using the power that nearly killed her on the recon mission, Slade decides to conduct a balls-to-the-wall exercise to have his apprentice correct her own mistake, but only after a steady bout of punishment. Her mission isn't an easy one: create a mind map of Titans Tower while creating a specter of herself, all while under a strict time limit of the shutdown of her physical body. Slade fears that he's challenged her too harshly this time, and begins to regret the idea halfway through. He can only hope that his apprentice makes it out of this mission alive.

**_After the Inconvenience_ **

_“Master…! I can’t—”_

_“You can’t breathe?” he sprinted through the trees, Titans close behind. “That’s a shame.”_

_There was venom in his words, and fear in hers._

_“SLADE!” they could hear Robin behind them._

_“This is greatly testing my patience.” He turned his head while running, taking to the trees of the forest. “I’m going to need two hands.”_

_Jane wasn’t able to respond, due to the lack of oxygen going to her lungs and brain. With an eye-roll, he gripped harder, knowing that she would pass out sooner than later._

_“What…are you…?!” she choked._

_“Silence.” He jumped from branch to branch, the trunks being blasted by green lasers._

_Blackness encroached on her vision and she finally went limp, the kicking and clawing, that had mostly been for acting, stopped. Draping her over his shoulder, he cracked his knuckles and stopped to turn around._

_“You Titans, you’re so persistent.” He built up a large fireball, as big of a radius he could get._

_With a scream of rage, he hurled it at their pursuers. As he hoped, it made contact with Robin and Starfire, Terra becoming too frightened and backing off. With his apprentice unconscious, and patience in the negatives, he dashed back into the forest. It was going to be a long day._

**Jane**

_My eyes…why can’t I open my eyes…?!_

A sudden blow to the stomach sent pain through her abdominal region. Consciousness was looming.

            _I need to wake up. I need to face him, I need to talk to him!_

Something cracked somewhere in her body, and she couldn’t tell where. All she knew was that something might have been broken now.

            _Don’t be an idiot! Wake up! WAKE UP!_

Her eyes opened as her body was rolling across a floor. Confused and frightened, she screamed, but it was interrupted by her back suddenly hitting a wall. Her muscles were numb, her mind was in a fog.

            “Well, well, well. It seems you’re awake.” The familiar voice welcomed her.

            “What…what is this…?” she stammered.

            His footsteps could be heard coming closer, and she knew she had no time to lose, but her body didn’t seem to obey her. It was like she was paralyzed. He grabbed her chin and forced her head upward to look him dead in the eye.

            “This, my dear, is punishment.”

            Her eyes widened, the many reasons he could have been doing this flashing across her mind, but before she could open her mouth again, he kneed her in the ribs, knocking the air from her lungs. When she choked, and later went for a gasp, he picked her up by the front of her shirt.

            “I’ll let you tell me what you did wrong.” He threw her again, across the room. “Humor me.”

            When she came to a halt, she couldn’t even get to her knees. As soon as she tried, he kicked her back down. Then he yelled at her, saying she wasn’t listening or answering fast enough.

            “I contacted someone…without your permission…” she answered.

            His knee to her back told her “wrong answer”. Pulling her arms up and back brought her head along with her, allowing him to growl into her ear.

            “Try again.”

            Quicker this time. “I was reckless…and used a power…that nearly killed me…”

            “I see you’re learning.” He dropped her arms and stomped on her back, emitting a scream from her. “But still wrong.”

            Her nose began to bleed, as did her mouth. There must have been some sort of internal bleeding, but she couldn’t activate her healing. He stomped again, harder this time, emitting another scream.

            “You’ll find that your powers have been deactivated for my own safety. You see, the last time I dealt a punishment, I was dead soon after. But I believe you’ve heard of that, am I wrong?” he circled her body.

            “No…” tears dripped from her eyes.

            Stepping on her right knee let her know that that was the mystery body part that was damaged. Her patella was most likely severed from the surrounding tendons, making it hurt more than Hell itself.

            “TRY AGAIN!” he shouted.

            There were a few answers left.

            “I…disobeyed you…” she squeaked.

            He didn’t scream. He didn’t step on her. He didn’t threaten her. Merely, he walked to her head and looked down at her.

            “And how did you do that?” he answered.

            “I…I panicked…” she shook in fear.

            _How did I come to that answer? I was going to tell him about seeing his memory, but my brain…jumped to that instead…_

“Good…” he rolled her over onto her back.

            Tears stained her cheeks, blood ran from her nose, and horror filled her face. As she stared at his mask, she could only predict that he would either end her where she laid or knock her out again. He stepped on her stomach.

            “I gave you multiple chances to attack. I gave you that simple order. But instead, what did you do? You. Did. NOT.”

            “I’m sorry…” she cried. “I’m sorry…”

            “You think apologizing is going to help you now?”

            “I can’t hurt him…I can’t hurt John…” she was shivering. “I know…I know I disobeyed you…I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…”

            He twisted his heel into her even harder, allowing some ribs to break. Crying out in pain, she tried gripping his foot, but didn’t have the capability.

            “You think you can fight me right now? Even _attempt_ to argue? Retaliate? Stand against me?”

            “No…” she shook her head. “I will…make it up to you…” she narrowed her eyes.

            He kicked her multiple times, leading her straight back into the wall.

            “You swore to obey me.” He told her. “I intend to make you follow—”

            “YOU DON’T HAVE TO!” she screamed.

            He stopped, anger swelling. “Do not raise your voice at me, young lady.”

            “I meant…” she coughed. “I meant…from here on out…I won’t misstep again…you have to believe me…”

            Something about her determination intrigued him. “I forgave your flaw in trying to contact your friend.” He let her catch her breath. “It was an error on my part. And what happened out in the city; that was an error on another front.” He sat her up. “As for your power…we will talk about that another time. Though it makes my skin crawl to think you took to Robin for assistance.”

            “You…didn’t answer…” she glanced up at him. “I had to…survive somehow…” she braced herself for another kick.

            “If you fall out of line again, the consequences will only increase. Do you understand me?”

            “Yes…master…” she nodded.

            He jabbed her neck, making her fall unconscious again. “I don’t want to look at you right now.”

           

**John**

“Blood, what the hell was that out there? I had him! I had him in my sights!” John followed Blood through the halls of the H.I.V.E., fuming and confused.

            _What a strange turn of events._ Blood thought to himself. _That little doll is working for Slade, is she? That puts a wrench in my plans._

“BLOOD!” John shouted with red eyes.

            Appalled, Blood turned around to look at his pupil.

            “He got away with Jane! Now who knows where she is?!” he shouted.

            “Calm down, my boy. This is simply a hurdle in our plan. Soon enough, you will have your friend in your possession again.”

            John held his head. “Those damn…fucking Titans…!”

            Blood raised a brow. _On the other hand…perhaps not._

            “If they hadn’t gotten in the way…” he closed his eyes. “They let Slade take her away…”

            “How did it feel to have powers out there, John?” he watched his boy’s reaction.

            “It felt great.” He didn’t hesitate.

            A smile formed on Blood’s face. “You really showed up your friend, didn’t you?”

            John didn’t answer.

            “Jane doubted you, John. Did you see the look on her face? She knew she was outshined. She never saw this coming, the power swelling within you.” he saw John’s face slowly change. “And now she thinks she can tell you what to do?”

            Hands shaking, palms sweating, John started to laugh. “She thinks she can give me orders…tell me how to live my life…”

            “You always told her what was right! You warned her about the dangers of using her powers, but did she listen?” he walked circles around his pupil.

            “No.”

            “What are you going to do now that you can strike fear into your best friend? Are you going to listen to her?”

            “I’m not following her orders anymore.”

            “You’re no longer the sidekick, my boy!” Blood smiled wider.

            “But this is Jane we’re talking about…” he wavered for a minute. “My best friend…since we were both admitted…”

            “And what has she done to you? What has she done _for_ you? Now that you’re able, you can show her who the one with the _real_ power is!”

            “Yea!” he clenched his fists, eyes glowing red.

            “You are STRONG.” He told him. “You are POWERFUL.” He told him. “You are JOHN, the pupil of BROTHER BLOOD!”

            John hovered into the air, laughing, allowing red electricity surge around him, telling Blood that his powers were only becoming stronger.

            “Slade has her under his wing, now. Which means…”

            “She’s only another target.” John smirked darkly.

 

**Slade**

As he was typing something into the monitor, he listened to the shallow breathing that emanated from his apprentice, a few feet away from him.

            “You’re not going anywhere…” he grumbled.

            Was the power he sought really there, he wondered? He knew for a fact that it was, but the most recent circumstances left him shaky, only in the back of his mind. As he continued to glance at his apprentice, he also kept an eye on the syringe to his left, placed on the keyboard for fast access, just in case something happened.

            “Blood being there wasn’t a coincidence.” He talked aloud, as if she was actually awake to listen. “Perhaps your friend being there was a mercy-point for me, because I have a feeling Blood is after something. The Titans were only a test…”

            Suddenly, a hand gripped his ankle, nearly giving him a heart attack.

            “The tapes…” Jane whispered, head down, hair over her face, spilling onto the ground like a waterfall.

            “I thought I turned your healing element off….!” He grabbed the syringe.

            “No…” she climbed his leg.

            He kicked her away, leaving her motionless when she rolled to a stop. When she stirred, he approached slowly, syringe in hand.

            “He didn’t erase the tapes…” she slowly rose to her hands and knees, but the right leg hung limp. “They’re still there…”

            “What tapes?” Slade asked.

            “Of my power…” she huffed and tried to stand. “Me…fighting the illusion of you…the one I nearly died over…”

            “Apprentice! Stand down!” he threatened.

            She stopped, causing her to collapse. It was clear that her healing element was still deactivated.

            “How are you awake right now? You should be incapacitated!”

            “He lied…I need those tapes…erased…” she didn’t answer his question, but used her elbows for support.

            “Those tapes…will they show evidence of your power? Expose you, expose us, before we’re ready to make our move?”

            “Yes…”

            “How do you know he lied?” he set the syringe back down.

            “Titans should never be trusted…” she huffed and fell back down.

            Approaching her again, he realized that she was fast asleep.

            “I hope you understand that this was your own idiotic mistake.” He growled angrily, but then a thought struck him. “Or perhaps it’s the perfect recon exercise that we need…”

 

**Several Hours Later**

“You’re…reactivating my powers?” she sat up on the floor, watching her master prick her with a needle. “Why?”

            “You’re an idiot, but you also gave us an opportunity.” He sighed. “I should end you where you sit, but that would be counter-productive.”

            “Right…” she took a deep breath.

            As she breathed, she felt the liquid flow through her veins, slowly activating the part of her that allowed the use of her powers. Closing her eyes, she flipped that invisible switch. Slade stood back up and watched the bruises heal, watched the knee click back in place.

            “You work fast.”

            “I try my best.” She stood up and cracked her neck and knuckles. “What was the opportunity you mentioned?”

            Before he answered, he slapped her.

            “OW?” she shouted.

            “That’s for being an idiot.” He walked away. “Get your suit and meet me in the training quarters, you have a large job ahead of you.”

            As she rubbed her cheek, she said ‘yes master’ and went to her room to put on her apprentice attire. She couldn’t help but feel terrible, but she deserved the punishment. She had disappointed him. Quickly, she got changed and brushed her hair. For the purposes of going to the training room, she whipped her hair into a quick ponytail. With a nod, she swiftly made her way to her master.

            _A large job? What is he talking about? Is this something to make up for my actions? If so, I would like nothing more than to prove myself to him, that I’m not a whiny brat who will make more mistakes._

“Nice timing.” He greeted her. “But we will not be doing this here.” He turned a dial on the keypad that usually controlled the droids.

            The floor flipped over, revealing a blank surface without droids, just a chair in the middle that was rooted to the ground. The ceiling of the room opened, just a tiny square, and headgear dropped from it, attached to a wire, like a virtual reality helmet or something. Gulping, she thought she had been tricked, that this was more punishment. It was clear that he noticed her sudden fright.

            “Explain that power to me.” He told her without looking at her.

            “The one that I needed to ask—”

            “Yes.” He cut her off before she could repeat what she had done.

            “Well…” she gulped. “That power allows me to create an illusion of others, but it is usually invisible.”

            “Can you control it? The manifestation.”

            “Yes.”

            “And it heavily taxes on your health, correct?” he still wasn’t looking at her.

            “Yes…” she rose her eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this.

            “Can you input your consciousness into that manifestation?”

            “My consciousness?” she blinked, surprised. “You mean…actually control it? Leave my body behind, run around in it, that kind of thing?”

            “Exactly.”

            “I’ve never tried it before. It’s hard enough to control it while keeping it manifested at the same time. Putting my whole consciousness in there…it would be suicide.” She started to sweat.

            “If your health was carefully tracked and maintained, could you do it?”

            “I…I…”

            “I will not take ‘I don’t know’ as an answer.”

            “Then I guess I have no other choice. Yes.” She responded slightly annoyed.

            “Good. Sit in the chair.” He ordered.

            Walking in, she looked around, the chair being in a different focus. The floor was cement and cold, the windows had tinted since the floor flipped over, and now the air was filled with static, like she was being warned this was a bad idea. After feeling the chair, she gulped and decided to take a seat, forearms resting on the arms of the chair. Slade followed her in.

            “I’m aware of your power to mind-map.” He revealed.

            “How did you know about that?” her eyes widened.

            “When you enter the mind of your master, you’re not the only one who has a one way link to the brain. It’s a symbiotic relationship, apprentice.” He placed clasps around her wrists and ankles. “And, judging by your expression, you have created a map of my lair, correct?”

            “Yes.”

            “What about the Titans’ Tower?”

            “Hardly…” she answered truthfully.

            “Then this is a true opportunity, one with many purposes. I want you to listen very carefully, apprentice.”

            She nodded as he placed the helmet on her head.

            “You need to destroy those tapes. We need a little more time before we make our final move, and Robin isn’t meant to be trusted. You need to enter the tower in your manifested form, destroy those tapes, and make your way back to your body safely. By doing that, we will have a complete map of the tower, and, for your benefit, you will have greater control over this power. Do you understand?”

            “Yes, master.” She was shaking.

            “This helmet will allow me to track your manifestation, while at the same time giving me your vital signs and making small adjustments so your body doesn’t wear out. Can your manifestation hear things I could say through the earpiece?”

            “I’m gonna go with yes.” She gulped.

            Ignoring that, he turned and walked out. She watched the door shut behind him, and she was alone, the large training room spread out all around her.

            “Apprentice, begin with creating the manifestation.” She heard him through the earpiece.

            With a nod, she closed her eyes. She imagined her own body in front of her, standing, ready to be manipulated. The sweat started quickly, but she could feel it. She could feel something being created. When she opened her eyes, there she was, a white and ghostly apparition of herself. When she blinked, it blinked. More or less, it was creepy as hell.

            “I assume you can see it. It appeared on my monitor.” He said.

            “Yes… But master, I don’t think—”

            “Now then, proceed with the rest of the plan.”

            _I have never fucking done this before._

Her eyes shut again and she concentrated on what she just saw. Using the distance between her and the manifestation as a river, she allowed herself to be free. She had to free herself from her body. It was much harder than she anticipated it being, and she needed to focus on controlling what had never been controlled. She needed to remember that she had a duty, there was someone counting on her. Suddenly, she felt cold. Alarmed, she opened her eyes to see her own body sitting in the chair, slumped over, head down.

            _No way._ She looked at her hands; white and nearly see-through. _No fucking way._

_“I’m going to be frank with you, this is creepy.”_ She heard.

            “Can you hear me?” she asked.

            _“I assume you just asked me a question, because your brain is fully active.”_

“So that’s a hardy no.” she looked around and walked forward. “I can walk. That’s good. Now what about…” she looked at the door, beyond that would be her master.

            With a smile, she walked forward a bit more, than burst into a run. Thinking she could phase through the door, she was regrettably faced with a smack to the face thanks to the very cold and very solid metal, which made a loud clang. She fell on the floor and rubbed her head.

            _“What the fuck was that?”_

“I ran into the door.” She stood back up.

            When she stood back up, she opened it with the hand scanner and looked at her master, who looked surprised. The door closed behind her and she walked up to him.

            “So you really can’t hear me?” she said a little louder.

            She watched his eye dart around, as if he were anticipating some sort of sneak attack. He didn’t look scared, or even alarmed, just on edge. Feeling a little bad, she touched his arm, and as she thought, he felt it.

            “So you’re here.” He answered, slowly looking down at his forearm.

            “Yes!” she responded.

            “Don’t dilly-dally.” He successfully brushed her hand away, just by guessing. “Get to the tower, erase those tapes, and do proper reconnaissance. I will be awaiting your return.”

            He walked away to his large monitor while she was left standing there. Before she made her way out of the lair, she looked through the glass window at her limp body. The helmet had blinking buttons, and she could see her real hands shivering. There wasn’t much time. With a nod, she sprinted out of the training area, trying to keep her sentience intact.

 

**The Forest**

Of course it was raining. As she left the lair, the water splashed on her face. She wondered if anybody who couldn’t see here could see raindrops splashing off of her. Taking the risk that they couldn’t, she stayed the course forward. Another sudden risk came into her head, and that was radar. If she could ram into a door and tap her master, surely the Titans could pick up her location and hear her running.

            _“Apprentice, your amygdala is glowing. What are you concerned about?”_

“If I told you, you couldn’t hear me!” she shouted.

            Suddenly, she needed to stop, feeling as if the air was being pressed out of her lungs.

            _“Keep going, apprentice.”_

Taking a deep breath, she pressed on. Surely she would be in their radar soon. What she found interesting about this form was that pain was dulled quite a bit. She felt tired and her muscles ache, and she did just feel the air pressing from her lungs, but it all felt so far away, like it wasn’t real. As she came to that thought, it happened again. The lungs.

            _“Apprentice!”_

He wasn’t talking to the manifestation.

            “I’m gonna keep running!” she shouted.

            As she sprinted forward again, she heard some shuffling around on the other end. Her body must have been in danger. When she reached the arc of the hill, she saw it; Titans Tower. With a smirk, she proceeded down the hill as gracefully as she could. There was no doubt about it that she was in radar, and if she could be detected, the Titans must have been very confused. Before she knew it, she was at the lake bank, full of pebbles and rocks that rolled her ankle in the past. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the charred remains of the city Slade had destroyed. The waves of the lake, created by the wind, were washing over her feet. With a deep breath, she dove into the water. It was cold, but the shock wore of quicker than normal. However, when she swam, she didn’t feel the urge to go up for air. This was either a good thing or a bad thing for her physical body.

            _“Why are you coughing?”_ his voice sounded far away, like he wasn’t directly speaking to the manifestation again. Something was wrong.

 

**Slade**

Having two different bodies to monitor was harder than he anticipated. On one hand, her physical body was slowly going to break down, and on the other hand, the manifestation was a new entity he had never encountered. The technology he had for this kind of phenomenon was left over from plans he had for Terra, but unfortunately he never got that far. The beginning of the plan, so far, was going smoothly. However, it was very chilling, because there was no way for her to respond to him, other than her brain functions. The amygdala had been glowing for a few minutes, but then it slowly faded. What really got his attention was the flashing on the other half of the screen.

            “Keep going, apprentice.” He told her.

            He ran into the training room to see her body through the glass, still hung limp and helmet still secured. What he had failed to notice was her nosebleed and her lack of chest movements.

            “God dammit.” He rushed to the keypad and clicked some buttons.

            When he looked back up, he finally noticed how her hands were shivering, the glowing sporadic and unpredictable. The only thing keeping the manifestation going was the energy flowing through the helmet.

            “I need to get her to breathe.” He told himself.

            After adjusting some settings, he heard her coughing. Swiftly walking in, he noticed that the coughing sounded wet, like she was drowning, but no liquid was present.

            “Why are you coughing?” he asked her, hoping for a response, but got none. “Son of a bitch…” he felt her pulse. It was racing. “Apprentice, are you in the water? If you are, you need to pull up!”

            The monitor in the other room began blaring loudly. That only meant that the first organ system had failed. However, it was not the digestive system like they had anticipated. This time, the lungs were going first. He had to slow down the process, or else the plan would never succeed and his apprentice would die. He adjusted the settings on the helmet and ran for a syringe.

 

**Jane**

Hearing Slade’s warning to pull up, she did. Even though she felt no pain or stress in her lungs, she knew something must have been wrong somewhere. She swam to the rocky shore that the Tower stood on and climbed to dry land. With deep breaths, she stood and looked up. There it was; her target. She supposed that going through the front door would be too easy, but she gave it a try anyway. Surprisingly, the door opened for her with ease. The thing was, the Titans now knew there was someone in the building. As the doors slid shut behind her, she needed to remember the reasons why she was here. She needed to get those tapes, as well as a diverse mental map of the tower. It sounded easy, but she was already running into hiccups on the other end.

            “I need to hurry.” She broke into a sprint.

            She tore through the sections of the tower that she already knew, and she needed to make her way to the security room, where all video recordings and footage were kept. Nobody besides Slade could know what she was capable of. As she searched and followed wires, she wondered multiple things as they entered her brain.

            “I wonder if the cameras can see where I am. Can they detect me?”

            She decided that answer would have to wait until she reached the security room. The biggest danger, which they both unconsciously knew, was lurking about somewhere in the tower. The demon spawn that must know how to creep into minds, and must know how to detect a meta-physical apparition.

            “While I’m at it, sneaking the defense codes off of the machines would be to our benefit as well. If I have enough time, I can probably do some good groundwork.”

After extensive minutes of searching, she finally hit her mark. The security room. As she predicted, the code to get in was one she was not taught. She needed to plan this carefully; punching or bashing her way in was not an option.

_“Apprentice, I hope you can hear me, we’ve got one organ system down. You need to speed this along.”_ He ordered.

“Right.”

She needed a plan, and fast. As things were going now, there was a great possibility that she could die. If she used her powers in this form, it would only speed the other process along, killing her quicker. As she punched the wall in frustration, her fist seemed to slosh its way through it.

“My body is decaying…which means the physicality is getting clumsier…” she whispered. “I can use this.”

Getting her hand back, she stood in front of the doors. Closing her eyes, with a deep breath, she walked into them. The feeling was indescribable, the sensation of her body seeming to just phase through solid, metal doors. It wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable, and nobody should have to experience the feeling. When she emerged on the other side, she was afraid to open her eyes and see what she stepped into, afraid to see some melted two-face villain or something with melting skin. However, when she heard the humming of computer monitors, that all went away. When she opened her eyes, there they were. The tapes.

“Fucking bingo!” she shouted.

In front of her were screens, split into the areas where security cameras were stationed. There were 18 of them in total, which she didn’t even realize. The security here was tighter than she imagined. Not needing to worry about that now, she pressed several buttons and eventually made her way into the histories of footage, particularly in the training room from the other night. When she found what she was looking for, her brows furrowed. She and Slade had been right; Robin had lied to her. The footage was still there. Her fighting absolutely nobody, being hit by invisible forces, and her sudden collapses and body problems.

“That fucking bastard…” she slammed her finger into the keyboard, deleting the footage with frustration in her face.

“I should search for hard copies as well.” She cracked her knuckles and looked around on shelves. “I have a feeling Cyborg organized these, because the collection is staggeringly neat…” she grumbled.

She was right about this as well, Robin had made copies of the security footage. Finding this made her even more frustrated.

_“Apprentice, it seems you’re facing immense anger. I assume we were correct.”_

“No shit.” She was thankful he couldn’t hear her.

_“Destroy the evidence, finish the map, and make it back ALIVE.”_

“Yes master.” She growled, knowing he couldn’t hear her.

Grabbing 4 tapes, she threw them to the ground and stomped on them. Her feet sloshed awkwardly, some cassette shrapnel sticking to her feet. Gross. Obviously, the Titans would see this destruction, but there was no way for them to link it back to her. That’s when her eyes met the computers again.

“Time to see if our friends, the cameras, can see me when I’m like this.”

She brought up the most recent footage, from hardly 10 minutes ago. As she watched and rewatched, she saw no physical apparition, only a swath of static for several seconds until she passed. With a nod, she searched for any other trigger, such as any wet spots from the rain, or footprints. None.

“Fucking sweet.” She smirked. “Practically untraceable.”

The next step: find the hardware for the tower’s security mechanisms. Already being in the security room, she figured this next step would be simple. Attached to the computer set-up was a box, a box with similar hardware she spotted on Cyborg. Her heart sank. The defenses were all linked to Cyborg, so if something happened to it now, she would be found in a heartbeat. There was nothing to do about that for now. Once she was sure she checked everything, she sloshed her way back through the door. With a shudder, she returned to her mental map of the tower. The only areas she was not familiar with were the ones the Titans navigated on a regular basis. However, she wouldn’t have enough time to find all of the Titans and snag their own layout of the map.

“Forgive me, master.” She sighed. “I have a stupid idea.”

Without a lot of time, she sprinted in the direction of the common room, the main hub which she grew to love so much. If they were all in there, that would be a sweet treat. She would have to basically ‘hack’, in a sense, her way into their innate knowledge for the tower. That would be risky, and she was prepared for a swift kick to the chest over it later. She phased into the room, her apparition becoming exhausted from being so mushy. Before her were all Titans…except for Robin, which was acceptable. Hauntingly, in the corner, was her biggest threat, meditating with her back facing her. This was the absolute worst time to not be spotted.

“I need to get them all in one shot, and then dart out of here.” She balled up her fists.

Closing her eyes, she felt the last wave of energy she could muster build up in her system. Re-opening them, they were solid white with power. Extending her hand in front of her, she entered each of their minds for only a few milliseconds, but that time felt like minutes, minutes she was wasting. They each had their own unique reaction. Terra was brought to attention, when before she was just staring at the bowl of fruit. Starfire woke up from slumber. Beast Boy had to pause his game. Cyborg had to take his earbuds out and check his systems. And finally, Raven opened her eyes.

“There’s someone here.” Her eyes were black. “In the tower.”

“What?” Cyborg asked. “How?”

_They didn’t catch me in their radar after all. That’s interesting._

Raven’s head snapped around, black aura surrounding her. She was looking directly at Jane, but she could not tell for sure if she could see her. Jane returned to normal, and was no longer emitted excess energy. When she thought she was in the clear, Raven emitted a hand that hurled Jane’s direction, and then hand turned into that of a raven. Without waiting another second, Jane turned. In the split second she turned, the door opened for her, by whom, she didn’t care to know. The raven chased her as she sprinted to the entrance of the tower. The raven was now surrounded by additional black aura covering the walls, as if Raven were trying to seal the space in her own energy, so she would not be able to escape. Jane phased through the doors of the tower, not pausing to catch her breath when she thought she was in the clear. Horrified that she was found out, as well as for her life, she kept running. She let out a horrified scream.

_“Apprentice, if you can hear me, you need to get back. My sources indicate that you’re nearing the end of the perimeter. Hurry.”_

Screaming again as a response, she went as fast as her apparition would allow, maneuvering through trees and phasing through logs that could have tripped her. Her stomach felt empty, and her chest felt heavy. Using her powers had fucked her up pretty badly. Closer and closer the entrance became to the lair, oh so close. She slid through the secret entrance, her balance failing her and freefalling through the gap between the staircase and the railing. We all know that gap; the gap we peer over and think “will I survive if I just fell through these?”. Jane was about to find out head-on, and the outcome was as she predicted. She lived, but she would definitely feel _that_ when she woke up. Wobbly standing, she could only walk now. Her real body was so close, but so far away. She saw Slade first, and to her surprise, he looked rather panic-stricken. He was tapping commands into the keypad furiously, sending orders to her energy helmet. Vision fading, she went for him first. Her manifestation was now failing her. She gripped his arm, falling forward, which surely gave him a start.

“Apprentice! What are you—” he knew he wouldn’t get an answer. “You can’t move anymore, can you?”

With a grunt, he surely felt her weight, he dragged her to the real body. Jane got a first-hand look at what she’d done to herself. Her head was tilted back in the chair, and blood was running down her face from everything; eyes, nose, mouth, ears. Using his weight, Jane flung herself off of Slade and attempted to make impact with her body. All she saw was red.

 

**Slade**

**“** What the FUCK is that idiot doing?!” he shouted as he started pounding on the keyboard. “You can’t use your powers in a manifested form, that…that doesn’t work!”

            Her vital signs were off the charts, and that’s speaking for both bodies. Her heartbeat had risen to a dangerous level, and the fact she couldn’t detect it didn’t make the situation any better. Saying “fuck it” to the main computer, he dashed for the real body. The breathing had stopped. The only thing providing oxygen was the helmet. Her stomach was also…empty. To put it delicately. He was going to burn the apprentice suit, that was for damn sure. In attempts to clean her up, he washed her hands and sections of her face, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop anyway, so why bother. The fact she could not communicate with him made him tenser. In fact, it almost scared him. Her skin was pale, and past the point of clammy. Her heartbeat was too strong, and he was afraid she would die. Towering over her, he rested his hands on her forearms, as if to establish connection.

            “Come on apprentice, come on.” He asked of her. “Fulfill your mission!”

            After closing his eye and allowing himself for silence, he heard a horrified scream. Looking around frantically, he recognized it. He could hear her.

            “Apprentice?!” he ran back to the monitors.

            It appeared her amygdala was going insane, out of immense fear. However, she was nearly at the edge of the Titans’ perimeter.

            “Apprentice, if you can hear me, you need to get back. My sources indicate that you’re nearing the end of the perimeter. Hurry.”

            No response. He punched the keyboard in frustration, roaring in anger. Never had he been so unsure on a mission. Was it her fault? Probably. But what he couldn’t shake is that this whole thing was his idea. Could there have been a better way? He took a bit to calm down, well aware of the other body in the adjacent room. He tried dialing codes for the helmet some more, to buy time.

            “If she makes it back alive, I swear to god—”

            Suddenly, there was weight on his left arm, like somebody had just tackled into him. It startled him, but he remembered that he could feel her.

            “Apprentice! What are you—” he knew he wouldn’t get an answer. “You can’t move anymore, can you?”

            As he predicted, no answer. She was like a deadweight, useless and unmoving. There were warnings popping up all over the screens.

            “Time’s up…!” he grunted and dragged her to her real body; or at least that’s what he assumed.

            There was a push and suddenly, the weight was gone. Did she collapse? Kicking the ground and feeling around, he felt nothing. His gaze slowly rose to the body. Unbreathing, unmoving…and dead.

            “No.” he shook his head. “No, no, no, NO _, NO_!” he stomped over to her so he could look down at her.

            He checked her pulse dozens of times, even tried to kick start her heart. Nothing.

            “Maybe that was too much.” He sighed and shook his head again. “I killed you.”

            He rested his hands on her shoulders.

            _“Check again.”_

Jane’s eyes opened with a ray of white light, as if spotlights were erupting from her eyes. She gripped the chair, Slade doing the same to her shoulders. Blinded, he was forced to close his eye. Suddenly, he was met with a flood of images. It was too much to handle at one time. All he knew was that it was Titans Tower. She did it. But there was something else. Lurking underneath the mental map and the floods of pain and possible nerve damage she was feeling. Redness and death, a black hole of suffering and loneliness. Betrayal. When the images stopped, so did the light. Opening his eye once again, he saw his apprentice gasping for breath. No longer bleeding, and heart pumping properly, she ripped the helmet off of her and stayed slumped in the chair.

            “I’m…never doing that…again…” she whispered, eyes closed.

            “How are you alive?” he kneeled down and began diagnosing what he could. “You were dead. I saw it.”

            “My body rebooted itself…” she covered her face with her shaking hands. “Like a computer…”

            “Why did you show me the map?” he sat her up. “What was that?”

            “The map? I…showed you…”

            Noticing she was about to pass out, he slapped her. “Focus.”

            “I got it…” she answered. “The map is ours…the tapes are destroyed…” she chuckled a little, slightly airheaded. “I recovered everything…we could need…”

            It was no use. She passed out, down for the count. With a relieved sigh, he let go of her shoulders and wiped the blood off of her face. His apprentice was alive.

            “Apprentice,” he picked her up. “You did a great job.”


End file.
